Energy bill pressures forcing Aussie households to go cold this winter
Nearly nine million Aussies are facing a serious dilemma over winter, and are being forced to sacrifice in order to make ends meet.   :(


News.com.au
August 18, 2025

Millions of Australian households are being forced to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table, a new survey has suggested.

With the cost of living crisis continuing to squeeze household budgets and the average quarterly energy bill jumping 13 per cent in just three years, comparison website Finder estimates 8.8 million Aussies are struggling to afford heating for their home.   :(

The survey of more than 1000 people found 13 per cent are being forced to go cold “all the time” due to pressures from high winter energy bills, while another 28 per cent avoid using the heater as often as possible.

An estimated 8.8 million Australian households are going cold this winter due to surging power bills and the cost of living.

The survey also ranked electricity among Australian households’ most stressful expenses with more than one in five people putting energy in their top 3 most stressful bills, sitting only behind groceries and rent or mortgage costs.

Finder energy expert Mariam Gabaji said it was “heartbreaking” that Aussie families were sacrificing comfort and health to avoid a crushing power bill.

“We’ve seen polar blasts already this winter with certain regions experiencing subzero temperatures,” she said.

“Going cold all winter isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be dangerous, especially for the elderly and young children.”

With both electricity and gas prices comfortably outstripping inflation since 2000, the survey also revealed Aussies were most likely to blame “the cost of living” generally for their surging bills.


Less than one in five people labelled energy providers as the main culprit for energy bill shock, while 18 per cent of respondents blamed themselves citing long showers or leaving lights on around the house.


Despite just 54 per cent of electricity customers believing their plans were “good value for money”, only 16 per cent of Aussies had switched their energy plans in the first six months of 2024.

The finance comparison company Finder, is urging households to compare their energy plans with alternative providers.

“Energy retailers are banking on people staying loyal or feeling overwhelmed. A quick comparison could mean the difference between shivering and saving this winter,” Ms Gabaji said.

“The price difference between the cheapest and most expensive electricity plans in our database is as much as $500 to $700 a year.”

Finder pointed to energy-efficient heating methods like electric blankets or ceramic heaters as potential savings for households, also urging households to check for government rebates offered to upgrade household appliances to more efficient alternatives.

It's caused by the policies of Labor and the Greens.

Bobby. wrote on Aug 19^th, 2025 at 7:57am:

It's caused by the policies of Labor and the Greens.

And they just don't care. The Liberals are no better.

It seems they just want the elderly and other vulnerable people to die, as we've seen/are still seeing with Covid.

Our State government puts up all charges on July 1st like clockwork - including water and power - and here in WA we still have no choice of power providers like the Eastern States does. For years now the unions have made sure that doesn't happen.

Our State Treasurer, Rita Spendalotti Safiotti even had the nerve to say she understands people are "doing it tough" just before all the government fees and charges went up on July 1st. F - ing hypocrite. She'll spend (taxpayers) money on anything except helping the less well off.

Not to be outdone, Alinta Energy put their charges up on July 1st as well. My normal gas bill is usually between $30 and $40 for 3 months, when the gas heater is used in winter it goes up to between $150 and $180 for 3 months.

Now that my elderly aunt has been in aged care since early July I expect my next gas and power bills to be quite a bit lower because I don't need the gas heater (for the living room) and the electric heater (for the bedrooms) on most of the time.

Disgraceful stuff as always from our useless pollies who only care about themselves and big business (not necessarily in that order).

Yep Carl and Melbourne got down to 1 degrees C overnight.

I'm glad to have a gas heater as electricity is next to useless and much more expensive.

I had a reverse cycle aircon in my last place for winter heating and
it would stop as the condenser would be covered in ice on cold winter nights.
I had to use a 2KW fan heater right next to where I was to stay warm.
and wear 3 jumpers, a beany and a scarf.

Giving 20 million to foreign terrorists ought to fix it!