Over half of British consumers are delaying turning on their heating this winter due to fears about rising heating costs, new research has revealed.

In a survey carried out by price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, 56 per cent of people said that they were either postponing putting on their heating, or were reluctant to do so amid recent hikes in household energy bills.

Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) agreed that as a result they would rather put on extra clothes than turn on their central heating as the cold weather approaches.

Responding to the results of the survey, moneysupermarket.com head of utilities, Paul Schofield, said: "It is clear that people are worried about their energy bills, particularly in light of the utilities companies putting prices up so frequently this year."

"It's concerning the public is being deterred from turning on their heating, particularly the old and vulnerable."

Mr Schofield added that while some consumers might be reluctant to turn up their heating, others might have been "lulled into a false sense of security", expecting household energy bills to fall as a result of the recent drop in wholesale gas prices.

The wholesale price of gas has dropped significantly over recent weeks as a result of additional capacity coming onstream and a build-up in supplies due to unseasonably warm weather, but moneysupermarket.com claims that it is "still not certain" that the price reductions will be passed on to consumers.

The website is subsequently urging consumers to use its 'jumper rating' system to shop around for a cheaper energy provider, stressing that doing so could save people over £100.

Moneysupermarket.com claims that British Gas currently has the highest "jumper rating" amongst energy suppliers, with an average yearly bill for a household standing at £1,055.77.

Scottish Power is named as the cheapest provider, with its customers paying average yearly bills of around £911.39.

© Adfero Ltd

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