A QUARTER of adults say they will not turn on their heating this winter because of crippling energy bills after the price cap is set to rise to £3,549

• Nearly one in three adults with children said they will not turn their heating on 
• One in ten adults said they would take out a loan to help pay for energy bills
• Liberal Democrats warned families are forced to make ‘heartbreaking decisions’

Nearly one in four adults will refuse to turn their heating on this winter, a poll has found.

The Savanta ComRes survey, which was carried out before Ofgem announced its price cap rise, asked 2,000 adults how they would deal with soaring bills.

Some 23 per cent said they would not turn their heating on at all – rising to 27 per cent among parents with children under the age of 18.

Seven in ten said they would switch their heating on less and one in ten said they would take out a loan

Seven in ten said they would switch their heating on less and one in ten said they would take out a loan.

The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the survey, warned that families are being forced to make ‘heartbreaking decisions’ amid the cost of living crisis.

Christine Jardine, the Lib Dems’ Cabinet Office spokesman, said: ‘It is a national scandal that parents are having to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children. It shouldn’t be like this.’  

It comes amid resounding warnings that people are in for a dire winter, with the energy price cap set to rise by 80% by October, pushing the average household’s yearly bill up from £1,971 to £3,549.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has said he is working “flat out” to draw up options for a plan of action for the next prime minister so they can “hit the ground running” when they take office in September.

But some say the Government has been missing in action, while neither Tory leadership candidate has set out in full how they would help people ahead of the contest’s conclusion.

The polling, which was conducted between July 29 and July 30, also suggests that parents of under-18s are increasingly likely to put more on their credit card due to rising energy bills (33% compared with national average of 23%).

The survey results were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region and social grade.

Christine Jardine, the Lib Dems’ Cabinet Office spokeswoman, said: “Families and pensioners across the country are making heartbreaking decisions because the Government has failed to save them.

Some 23 per cent of those surveyed said they would not turn their heating on at all – rising to 27 per cent among parents with children under the age of 18

“It is a national scandal that parents are having to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children. It shouldn’t be like this.

“Britain is on the brink of the worst cost-of-living crisis in a century and yet still Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will not scrap the energy price rise. It is clear energy prices must not be allowed to rise in October.”

Ms Jardine said an “economic catastrophe” is now “just a month away”, blaming a “zombie Government in Westminster, and two leadership contenders living on another planet”.

“It is time to tax the record multibillion pound profits of oil and gas companies and use the money to save British families and pensioners,” she said.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been approached for comment.

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