70 per cent of Aussies using heater less to keep energy bills down – but not everyone is able to

Hundreds of Aussie households are struggling to heat their homes this winter as new research reveals 70 per cent of Australians are using their heater less in an attempt to keep their energy bills down.

Alliance Climate Control data found three in five Australians were living in homes below 18C, temperatures that have been declared “unsafe” by the World Health Organisation.

But for the thousands of Australians who live with medical conditions, switching off the heating to save on bills simply isn’t an option.

Victorian resident Jennifer Willis said keeping her home warm during the winter months wasn’t just a matter of comfort but a way to control the symptoms of an “unpredictable” illness.

After a decade spent experiencing a range of neurological symptoms she knew were not “quite right”, Ms Willis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, an auto-immune disease where the immune system attacks the body’s central nervous system.

Six years on, the 52-year-old says ensuring her home remains at 21C is one of the ways she prevents the cognitive symptoms of MS from emerging.

“It’s a bit like if my brain was a jigsaw that at times fits quite well together. It’s as if that’s been shaken up and the pieces don’t want to fit together once I’m cold,” Ms Willis said.

“My brain just doesn’t work in the same way.

“The thinking challenges then lead to more fatigue because everything you’re trying to do becomes harder.”

Ms Willis said the costs of managing her symptoms during winter were high, with her power bills costing her about $400 each month.

But Ms Willis said “there’s nothing (she) can do about it”.

“It definitely makes me worry about making ends meet … I will often end up paying my bills late as well because they come and they’re large,” she said.

“I just sort of juggle some money around to be able to manage that.”

Alliance Climate Control senior comfort expert Goran Surbevski said it came as no surprise that 70 per cent of Australians had reduced heating to manage their expenses.

“This isn’t surprising with the increased cost of living we’ve experienced over the last few years, with a third of Australians now spending over $300 on their winter heating bills,” he said.

However, cutting down on heating costs was putting Australians at risk, Mr Surbevski said

H said it was “deeply concerning” that 60 per cent of Australians lived in homes with unsafe temperatures when a third of people struggled to heat their homes regularly.

“This highlights a significant issue stemming from the lack of insulation and poor building designs that fail to retain heat in Australian homes. In addition to this, there is a shortage of effective heating systems in Australian homes,” he said.

“Over half of those living in temperatures below 18C, who also stated they can’t heat their house to a comfortable temperature regularly, rely upon inefficient heating methods such as electric and gas room heaters, portable electric heaters or no heating at all.”

Ms Willis said while she ensured she layered up in the winter months, clothing didn’t always keep her symptoms at bay.

“I need to run my heating a lot of the time when I’m home because I sort of find that clothing doesn’t do the trick,” she said.

“If I have the house cold, but a lot of clothing on, I still feel that chill, and I still feel a bit clunky.”

The federal government has announced a new $300 energy rebate for every Australian household in this year’s budget.

Eligible households will automatically have the rebate applied to their power bill.