British households increasingly likely to avoid using gas central heating

Use of gas as the main method of heating dropped significantly in UK households last year compared to 2021, according to a recent government survey on home heating habits. The latest Public Attitudes Tracker from DESNZ found gas usage fell from 78% of homes during the winter of 2021 to just 57% last winter.

Portable electric heaters more than tripled in popularity over this period, rising from 3% to 11% of households. Solid fuel and wood burners also saw growth, jumping from 1% to 7%. This shift suggests many homeowners are targeting smaller space heating to save money. 

The decline in gas usage was steepest in rented properties, which saw a decrease from 72% to 54% year-on-year, compared to owner-occupied homes which reflected a drop from 82% to 60%. Renters appear to have abandoned gas at higher rates, possibly due to limitations on their ability to upgrade long-term heating infrastructure.

The survey also found 41% of respondents paid “significant” attention to energy usage last winter versus 27% in 2021. Correspondingly, the proportion who said they pay a little or hardly any attention to this fell from 25% to 15% over this period. 

The Public Attitudes Tracker notes that these findings are a reflection of the increasing cost of energy, and the cost of living more generally, both of which have risen since winter 2021.