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Millions of Australians have been shivering through this winter, avoiding using their heater over fears of how much it will cost, a new survey has revealed.
The new research, from comparison site Finder, found 1 in 8 Australians go without heating "all the time", while a further 36 percent said they avoid using the heater as often as they can.
The findings, based on a survey of 1,049 respondents, mean almost half of Australians – or the equivalent of 4.9 million households – are living without adequate heating.
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This is despite some bill relief kicking in from the federal government's energy rebate.
Last month, Aussie households began receiving the promised rebate, which will be applied in quarterly instalments of $75 over the financial year to a total of $300.
The extra help has hardly made a dent for about a quarter of Australians, who said receiving their power bill rated in their top 3 most stressful experiences in July.
Finder utilities expert Mariam Gabaji said household budgets had been left severely stretched by rising energy bills.
"Years of steep electricity bill increases have left Aussies paying significantly higher costs," Gabaji said.
"Somes face the impossible decision between buying food or heating their homes as the cost of living crisis reaches a breaking point."
Energy providers have acknowledged customers are doing it tough.
In July, AGL Australia revealed 10,000 customers joined its financial hardship program in the past year.
Meanwhile, Energy Australia said it is getting 1000 bill relief calls every weekday.
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Gabaji said about 80 percent of Australian homes were poorly insulated which made them even most costly to try to warm up.
"Research suggests these homes have an energy efficiency rating of 2 stars or less out of 10.
"An old home with no insulation is like living in a tent," Gabaji said.
According to Finder, the running cost of an average gas heater is $274, compared to electric heaters at $239, but it depends on the state where you live.
Australians spent $387 on average on their quarterly electricity bill in July.
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Gabaji said Australians spent $1.1 billion in loyalty tax on electricity in 2023 and the best thing people could do was make sure they were on the cheapest electricity plan.
The government has a free website where customers can compare energy plan prices to find the cheapest one.
