Half of households say they will spend more on energy bills than rent

The cost of living crisis continues to impact Britons

Nearly half of households in the UK have said they will spend more money on energy bills than rent in the coming months as the cost of living crisis continues to hit hard.

The cost of energy has skyrocketed in recent months due to global market fluctuations. Despite prime minister Liz Truss’s measure to freeze the energy price cap at £2,500 for two years, Britons are still facing much higher energy bills compared to previous years.

A new poll of 5,000 adults has now found that 46 per cent of households will pay more for energy than rent this winter, with more than half (56 per cent) already changing their energy behaviours to try and mitigate higher costs.

Of those, more than a third (36 per cent) are changing the way they use energy just to save money for the forthcoming festive period.

The survey, commissioned by Smart Energy GB, found that households with a smart metre are more likely to adjust their energy habits (42 per cent) to protect their Christmas budget, compared to those without (19 per cent).

The government’s energy price guarantee has done little to assuage people’s fears about rising costs, with 52 per cent still feeling concerned about the issue.

Even with additional support, the average household energy bill is expected to increase by £693, a 54 per cent rise on the average bill in 2021, according to Ofgem.

Victoria Bacon, from Smart Energy GB, said: “Over the past few months, Brits have looked to find ways to better manage the energy they use and save money in the process.

“With temperatures set to drop further in the coming weeks and months, people will rely even more on heating to stay warm, so it will be even more important to look at their wider energy use and the energy efficiency of their homes.”

When asked what they would do to reduce energy usage, most Britons surveyed (27 per cent) said turning down their thermostat by one degree compared to last year would help.

Over a fifth (27 per cent) said they would switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs, while 15 per cent said they would have their boiler serviced.

It comes after a survey carried out by Savanta ComRes last month found that nearly one in four adults plan to never turn on their heating this winter to save money.

While the majority (69 per cent) said they would switch their heating on less, 23 per cent said they would not turn it on at all. This figure rose to 27 per cent among parents with children under the age of 18.

A further 11 per cent said they would take out a loan to help pay for rising energy bills.

Additional reporting by SWNS