- Britons are worried about high energy bills as temperatures drop in the country.
- Three residents told the Guardian they were doing whatever they could to avoid heating their homes.
People in the UK are delaying turning their heating on as temperatures drop in the country amid a rising energy crisis.
Energy bills have been soaring in recent months as Russia's war with Ukraine has put pressure on global gas supplies and left many Europeans facing a difficult winter.
Jo Love, a 64-year-old cleaner living in the UK, told the Guardian she was wearing a dressing gown, jacket, and hat in her house instead of turning on her heating. Love said she was also limiting her use of electricity.
"I've decided to only watch one hour of TV in the evening and go to bed at 8.30 p.m.," she said. "I've never done anything like this before – it's insane."
54-year-old Ilona Hughes told the news outlet she was delaying heating her one-bedroom flat in London despite the cold affecting her health.
"My flat can get quite damp because it's a Victorian conversion. We've got solid brick walls and you get a lot of condensation in the morning on the windows and it feels damp. The damp goes straight into my knees like arrows," she said.
A company director, Richard Benson, said he was aiming to avoid heating his home until December. He told the Guardian he was putting his two young children, a two-year-old and a three-month-old, in extra layers.
"The baby has two babygrows, and if someone is not carrying him he has a blanket on top," he said.
Benson added he was fortunate the decision was not a financial one, but that he was worried about national supplies.
"I just don't see that it's the right thing to do – if everyone uses less, there will be less demand, and prices won't be so high. Even if I can afford it, cutting back a bit helps everyone. I see it as the ultimate selfishness to not try to help a little bit," he said.