New data shows 70 per cent of Australians are using their heater less to keep energy bills down

More Geelong residents are using their heater less to keep their power bills down – but some locals with health conditions have no choice but to fork hundreds of dollars each month to stay warm.

Geelong resident Justine Martin has MS and the cold weather makes her symptoms worse. Picture: Brad Fleet

Geelong residents are living in “unsafe homes” and using their heater less to keep their energy bills down as the cost of living continues to bite.

New research has found more than 60 per cent of Australians are living in homes with temperatures under 18C and one-in-five Victorians are suffering from health issues due to the cold.

The World Health Organisation states that indoor temperatures should exceed 18C in order to be deemed “safe” and to prevent health effects.

The data, from Alliance Climate Control, found 70 per cent of people have reduced their heating to keep their power bills down.

But those with medical conditions who need to stay warm in the colder weather have no choice but to fork out thousands of dollars in winter to heat their homes.

Justine Martin from Marshall lives with multiple sclerosis (MS) and was recently in remission for lymphoma and leukaemia.

The 53-year-old experiences neuropathy – a type of nerve pain – in her feet and legs and said the cold temperatures makes her symptoms “excruciatingly painful”.

“The cold makes it so much worse,” she said.

“I have to try and keep warm all the time or my legs spasm and I can’t walk.

“Even water running down my legs feels like razor blades slicing into my skin.”

Justine Martin, 53, has MS and the cold weather makes her symptoms worse. Picture: Brad Fleet

Ms Martin also suffers from chronic fatigue, meaning her body doesn’t have enough energy to keep warm.

She needs to keep her home between 23 and 24C to minimise her symptoms.

Ms Martin has a central gas heater and three split systems in her home but she also wears thermals and uses an electric throw blanket daily.

During the colder weather, her gas bill is more than $500 a month.

“Then it’s another couple of hundred dollars each month for electricity as well,” she said.

Ms Martin said those with disabilities or health conditions, who need to stay warm during the colder months, generally don’t have the funds to keep their homes at a safe temperature.

“Those of us who have medical problems aren’t high income earners, yet we are the ones that need to be in warm houses,” she said.

Alliance Climate Control’s Goran Surbevski said three-quarters of Australians are concerned about the cost of heating their homes.

“This isn’t surprising with the increased cost of living we’ve experienced over the last few years, with a third of Australians now spending over $300 on their winter heating bills,” he said.

In an effort to combat soaring costs, the federal government announced a $300 energy bill rebate for Australian households as part of this year’s budget.

Do you have a high energy bill? Are you opting to go without heating to keep costs down? We’d like to hear from you. Email [e-mail]

Originally published as New data shows 70 per cent of Australians are using their heater less to keep energy bills down