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The new exclusive data from Salford’s Energy House test facility highlights that householders putting their health in danger by rationing their energy use below 18°C are only saving 66p per day.

The charity says that the cost of January's energy price cap increase (announced on Friday) of £21 is equivalent to over a month of having to reduce your thermostat to an unhealthy temperature2. The analysis is published ahead of National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day³ tomorrow (Wednesday 27 November).

18°C is the recommended minimum to avoid risks to respiratory and cardiovascular health in healthy adults. Yet, last winter 97% of callers to the charity’s National Energy Action’s Energy Advice and Support line said they were unable to keep their homes warm. They report turning their heating down to unsafe levels or off completely because they couldn’t afford their bills. With bills still high, customers owing over £3.7 billion of debt and less support than last winter, the situation is likely to worsen.

National Energy Action Chief Executive Adam Scorer says,

‘Every day, our advisers speak to clients who turn down their heating below a healthy level of warmth. They hope to save pounds every day. Our work with Salford shows the cost difference could be much less than most people think. 

‘At the same time, the health and wellbeing impact of a home heated below 18 degrees can be far worse than people know. For every degree below 18, cold homes take an increasing toll on people’s health, wellbeing and lives.

‘Cold homes, cause ill health. Our work with Salford is to understand how the decisions that people take to cope with unaffordable bills affect them, and how we might guide them towards better approaches. We know that rationing and self disconnecting comes at an unacceptable price to their health and wellbeing.

‘Another winter of high prices and diminishing support means millions of underheated homes and an annual public health emergency. Additional targeted energy bill support from government could mean households could keep their homes warm. Bringing in a larger energy discount or a new social tariff could protect low-income households. Crucially, the government’s Warm Homes Plan needs to invest in energy efficiency to make fuel poor homes cheaper and easier to heat.’

A number of tests took place at the cutting-edge Energy House facility⁴ over October and November with a conventional gas fired central heating system to generate these results. They compared the daily winter running costs of the system with different thermostat settings.

6.1 million UK households will be in fuel poverty

The charity says with energy bills set to rise again further in January, 6.1 million UK households will be in fuel poverty and are likely to cut back their energy use to dangerous levels or slip into further energy debts. The price cap announcement came just days before National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on Wednesday. As well as underlining the challenge of people keeping warm, the day will help highlight the solutions. National Energy Action has shared the following details of a client who needs to keep her home warm:

Amanda lives with her partner and adult child in a local authority property. She suffers from severe respiratory conditions and, as a result, was let go from her job a few years ago. She uses a nebuliser and a CPAP machine. Amanda was advised by medical staff to maintain her home at 21°C in order to protect her health and wellbeing. Due to the cost of living and the cost of energy, Amanda has found this next to impossible to do.

Through National Energy Action’s Warm Home Prescription scheme, Amanda received £700 on her gas meter. She also received tailored energy advice support and was signposted to organisations that could offer further help regarding the accessibility improvements needed in her property. Amanda also received one of the charity’s Winter Warmth Support Packs.