The Aporia · 1.7 million Britons 'won't turn on heating' this winter amid Godzilla El Niño extreme weather threat

1.7 million Britons 'won't turn on heating' this winter amid Godzilla El Niño extreme weather threat

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Yadav, N. (2026, October 14). 1.7 million Britons 'won't turn on heating' this winter amid Godzilla El Niño extreme weather threat. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/el-nino-heating-energy-bills-weather-polar-vortex-b1300784.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Quick Summary

A Uswitch poll indicates that up to 1.7 million British households plan to avoid using their heating this winter due to rising energy costs, with some resorting to alternative methods like hot water bottles and extra clothing to stay warm. The threat of a severe El Niño weather pattern, similar to previous storms like Katie and Desmond which caused significant flooding, adds concern over potential extreme conditions, while the cost of living crisis continues to pressure households: 28% report that heating has become unaffordable due to energy bill increases, with further hikes expected in January.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-14, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 14, 2026, a Uswitch poll suggests that 1.7 million British households plan to avoid using heating this winter due to rising energy costs. Only 40% of these homes intend to turn on their heaters if they feel too cold. Many will instead rely on hot water bottles and extra clothing for warmth. Previous El Niño events, such as Storm Katie and Storm Desmond, caused severe flooding in regions like Lancashire and Cumbria. With another possible El Niño this winter, concerns are growing over higher energy bills: a 4% hike to Ofgem’s price cap in October is followed by forecasts predicting an additional £300 increase from January. Nearly one-quarter of respondents cited unaffordable heating costs due to rising energy prices.

Written for “Britons Heating Crisis” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but all 3 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.

Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.

Leaning score withheld for article 79049: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-14

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

31%

4 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

67/100

Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Economy/Business

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Niva Yadav

26 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 A poll for Uswitch suggested that as many as 1.7 million households will turn off their heating to save money on costs, with only 40% planning to turn it on if they get too cold.

2026-10-14 · mixed framing · 1.7 million Britons 'won't turn on heating' this winter amid Godzilla El Niño extreme weather threat

🔮 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

2026-10-14 · assertive framing · London fish and chip shop shortlisted for top UK award

🔮 Light patches of rain and blustery showers on Tuesday morning are expected to be followed by highs of 21C and sunshine.

2026-10-13 · mixed framing · When will the mild London weather end? Temperatures to tumble within days

🔮 A party spokesperson said: "It is clear now we will come a close second in this by-election.

2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Holborn and St Pancras by-election result in full: How many votes did Zack Polanski get?

🔮 The proposed £1.5 billion scheme would see the Docklands Light Railway extended from Beckton Riverside to Thamesmead through a new tunnel under the River Thames, delivering the south-east London town's first rail connection.

2026-10-08 · assertive framing · TfL claims backing for £1.5bn DLR extension despite concerns over disruption

🔮 One of Britain's biggest housebuilders has said it will stop launching new housing developments in London, dealing a fresh blow to efforts to tackle the capital's housing shortage.

2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Taylor Wimpey to stop building homes in London as development ‘reward has evaporated’

🔮 But I do think about how it might affect young people who might be interested in getting into politics or community work and seeing that kind of negativity and that rhetoric and walking away."

2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Holborn and St Pancras by-election: Who are the candidates?

🔮 I have no doubt that Sagal Abdi-Wali will make a brilliant local MP for Holborn and St. Pancras," Andy Burnham says.

2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Holborn and St Pancras by-election LIVE: Polls open as Polanski battles Labour in crunch London vote

🔮 The Met Police also anticipates that there could be counter protests on October 10 led by Stop the Hate.

2026-10-02 · assertive framing · All the major protests happening in London as Met Police issues serious warning

🔮 Aditi Vijay Paralkar, 46, Rakesh Narayan Pai, 47, and their nine-year-old son, Sid Pai Paralkar, all plunged to their death after falling from the UNCLE building in May.

2026-10-02 · mixed framing · Woman dies after fall from south London tower block 'where family-of-three plunged to their deaths'

Also by Niva Yadav

London fish and chip shop shortlisted for top UK award

2026-10-14 · Evening Standard

Man, 42, dies in custody at London's Charing Cross police station

2026-10-13 · Evening Standard

When will the mild London weather end? Temperatures to tumble within days

2026-10-13 · Evening Standard

Holborn and St Pancras by-election result in full: How many votes did Zack Polanski get?

2026-10-09 · Evening Standard

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 26 articles by Niva Yadav →

Narrative

Claims (13 extracted, 4 hedged)

A poll for Uswitch suggested that as many as 1.7 million households will turn off their heating to save money on costs, with only 40% planning to turn it on if they get too cold. uncertain

they → suggest → it

Instead, half of households will turn to hot water bottles, blankets, and extra layers to stay warm. asserted

half → turn → bottles

Previous El Niños saw Storm Katie and Storm Desmond wreak havoc across the UK, with record-breaking rainfall and flooding across Lancashire and Cumbria. asserted

Katie → see → Lancashire

While the first part of winter is likely to be frosty and wet, it is still unclear what El Niño could mean later on. uncertain

Niño → mean → what

But Britons remain concerned that rising energy bills will prevent them from switching on their heating. asserted

bills → remain → heating

Read More A quarter (28%) said rising energy bills had made heating unaffordable, while forecasters warn that bills could soar by another £300 from January following a 4% hike to Ofgem’s energy price cap in October. uncertain

bills → read → October

Nearly 6% of households will leave the heating off altogether, with more than a third of those people saying they could afford to heat their homes, but would rather save money. uncertain

they → leave → money

Almost a third of people (29%) will selectively heat rooms in their home, while 18% will hold off switching on the heating until later in the year. asserted

% → heat → year

Campaigners across the UK have urged the government to make plans to support all households with energy costs. asserted

Campaigners → urge → costs

Uswitch energy spokesman Ben Gallizzi said: “It’s alarming to see so many households already planning to go without heating this winter, before the coldest months have even arrived. asserted

months → say → heating

“Energy costs have just increased and are set to rise again in January, so this will be a tough winter for many – and it makes sense that many will be looking at ways to cut their energy usage. asserted

many → increase → usage

“Despite higher energy costs, it’s really important that households don’t simply sit in the cold.” asserted

households → ’ → cold

Healthy adults should aim for a minimum indoor temperature of 18C, while vulnerable groups, including infants and the elderly, should aim for 20C. asserted

groups → aim → 20C.

1.7 million Britons 'won't turn on heating' this winter amid Godzilla El Niño extreme weather threat

Quick Summary

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (13 extracted, 4 hedged)