Britain's Heating Habits: the heating switch on debate
As the nights draw in and temperatures drop, the annual question for many homes nationwide returns: When should I put the heating on? This seemingly simple decision sparks more debate than you might think, according to recent Good Energy research* revealing that more than a third of households (36%) disagree about when to put the heating on.
The national study of 2,000 adults highlights the diverse ways Brits are approaching heating this winter, and just how contentious the decision can be.
For most households, the process is democratic: two-thirds (67%) say they consult everyone’s opinion before turning on the heating, while only 12% admit to doing so without consulting anyone else.
Despite this collective approach, habits vary widely. While all 12 UK regions report an average heating switch-on date in October, a significant number of households buck the trend. Nearly one in 25 (4%) say they don’t turn on their heating at all, and over one in ten (11%) plan to wait until late November or beyond.
What temperature should your house be?
Avergage thermostat settings vary widely across the UK. One in seven (13%) set their thermostat above 22°C – exceeding the Energy Saving Trust’s recommended range of 18-21°C for healthy adults. Millennials are the most likely to do so (19%).
Interestingly, five of the 12 regions surveyed report average thermostat settings below the recommended range, with the thermostat temperatures in the North East dipping as low as 16.6°C.
How are Brits keeping warm in winter?
To keep warm without cracking up the thermostat further, our data shows that Brits rely on classic comforts. The top six winter essentials are:
- Warm clothing – such as snoodies or dressing gowns (49%)
- Slippers (46%)
- Hot drinks (46%)
- Warm blankets (40%)
- Heavy winter duvets (32%)
- Hot water bottles (28%)
Holding out or heating up?
Brits’ reputation for stoicism shows up clearly in the research too. Many of us take pride in holding out as long as possible before switching the heating on, with 17% saying they won’t even consider it until outdoor temperatures drop to around 8–9 degrees. Having said that, when the cold truly hits, even the toughest resolve doesn’t last forever.
Almost half (46%) of those aged 55+ and over half of Scots (56%) admit they turn the heating on as soon as they feel cold. Others attempt to delay with just over a third (34%) only holding off the ‘big switch on’ for a few days, where as 9% make it to a week, and one in eight (12%) hold out even longer.
These varied habits highlight just how differently households experience and manage cold weather and why conversations about alternatives, like heat pumps, are becoming more common.
Could heat pumps be the answer?
With all that in mind, heat pumps could be the real game-changer for homes. Rather than relying on bursts of gas heat or cranking up the thermostat, an air-source heat pump draws warmth from the air and runs steadily, delivering a consistently cosy temperature even when it’s freezing outside.
Good Energy installations routinely reach an efficiency of around 360%, meaning you get nearly four units of heat for every unit of electricity you use. That efficiency can lead to lower bills and a much smaller carbon footprint – cutting emissions by around 65% compared to a traditional gas boiler.
And to top it off, it could even provide a solution to family disputes over when to turn the heating on – because heat pumps work most efficiently when your home is kept to a constant cosy temperature.
For Black Friday, Good Energy is offering an unmissable deal to help households make the switch to renewables: free hot water for a year with the installation of an air source heat pump**.
Making fossil fuels – and the annual heating debate – a thing of the past.
*This research was commissioned by Good Energy and has been conducted by Opinium Research, an independent insights agency, on a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults. The research has been conducted through an online survey between 28th-31st October 2025.
**We’ll take the estimated cost of your annual hot water use off the final price of your heat pump. This is a one off discount worth up to £514, and not a monthly payment. To read the full terms and conditions, click here.
