One in four UK households living in social housing was forced to go without heating at times last winter to reduce the cost of record high energy bills, according to new figures.
The number of households living in temperatures below 18 degrees celsius for periods last winter climbed by about 240,000 compared with the winter before, raising concerns among fuel poverty charities that rocketing energy bills are posing a risk to people’s health.
The data was collected from smart thermostats fitted in about 20,000 households in social housing developments by the energy analytics firm Switchee. It showed that 23.5% did not heat their homes for a period of at least one week last winter, compared with 17.4% the year before.
The company analyses billions of data points to provide social housing landlords with insights that can help to improve the energy efficiency of properties. But its analysis uncovered a rising number of households living in cold homes.
It said households that do not heat their homes to at least 18 degrees Celsius lead to higher NHS admissions and are at greater risk of mould. The National Energy Action, a fuel poverty charity, said many more people may be forced to go without heating this winter after the government cut back on support payments.
“This new data paints a chilling picture of what happened last winter and what’s happening again now in millions of homes across the whole of the UK,” said Adam Scorer, the chief executive of National Energy Action.
“People in all tenures are using less but still paying more. Millions are underheating their homes to the point it could be dangerous to their health or even fatal.”
The findings have emerged after experts warned that low-income tenants will face higher energy bills as a result of the government’s decision to scrap plans to force private landlords to upgrade their properties to make them more energy-efficient.
Rishi Sunak last month dropped a requirement for landlords to meet stricter energy efficiency standards alongside plans to scrap or delay of a range of green measures which he said imposed a direct cost on consumers.
Scorer said: “Beyond the money needed to afford heating, we are also seeing people not able to cook a hot meal or not using hot water for washing. There are people who can’t afford to refrigerate their food or medicines, and people relying on candles for light.
“Others who are prioritising their heating and other energy use are falling further into energy debt, which is now at record levels. Energy bills remain hundreds of pounds a year higher than at the start of the energy crisis and are likely to rise again in January. Sadly, it seems inevitable the situation will get far worse this winter.”
