Nearly one in four people in the UK expect to never turn their heating on this winter due to rising energy bills, according to recent poll

A new poll has revealed almost one quarter of the UK public are planning to ditch heating their houses this winter as a result of the significant hike to energy bills.

New Savanta ComRes polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals the public are planning to make heart-breaking decisions to cope with spiralling energy prices this winter.

A total of 2,120 UK adults aged 18+ were interviewed online between July 29 and 30 022 and were asked if they would switch off their heating to cope with the price hike.

The findings come after OfGem announced the energy price cap will result in the typical household energy bill reaching £3,549 a year from October 1.

A new poll has revealed almost one quarter of the UK public are planning to ditch heating their houses this winter (Photo: Joe Giddens).

Almost one in four (23 per cent) of UK adults plan to never turn their heating on this winter. This rises to over one in four (27 per cent) amongst parents with children under the age of 18.

The polling also reveals those who are parents of children aged under 18 are increasingly likely to put more on their credit card (33 per cent compared to national average 23 per cent).

The survey found seven in ten (69 per cent) will turn on their heating on less this winter and one in ten (11 per cent) will even take out a loan in response to rising energy prices.

Those with children under 18 are again more likely to take out a loan due to rising energy bills (17 per cent).

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to scrap the energy price cap rise in October, as well as provide further targeted support at the lowest paid amid a winter cost of living crisis.

The party’s plan to keep energy bills at their current price would be part funded by a further Windfall Tax on oil and gas companies.

In the first six months of this year alone, BP and Shell made £29 billion in profits, whilst many households plan to go cold during winter.

Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “Families and pensioners across the country are making heart-breaking decisions because the Government has failed to save them. 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.

“Their refusal to cancel the energy price cap rise is leaving millions facing financial devastation. An economic catastrophe is now just a month away because we have a Zombie Government in Westminster, and two leadership contenders living on another planet.

The Scottish Government has said they are treating the energy crisis as a “public emergency” and households “simply cannot” be expected to carry the burden of further price rises in October.

They have called also called on the UK Government to commit to freezing the cap for all households and to supporting energy companies to deliver that.

The Scottish Government said it has allocated almost £3 billion this financial year to help households face the increased cost of living.

This includes the provision of services and financial support not available elsewhere in the UK such as the Scottish Child Payment and the £10 million for the Fuel Insecurity Fund.