Big freeze was a turn-off for Scots homes

ALMOST seven in ten households went without heating during the coldest winter in decades in order to keep costs down, it has been estimated.

More than a third of households occasionally went without heating and one in ten kept it turned off because of fears of high energy bills, according to research by uSwitch.com.

In all, 69 per cent rationed their energy use over the winter to keep costs down, even though 22 per cent said they were colder indoors as a result.

Just 38 per cent of people felt they had found the right balance between keeping their home warm and managing costs.

However, a third said the colder than average temperatures and rising energy bills meant they were now more likely to invest in energy-efficiency measures before next winter.