15% of UK residents feel cold in their homes (Getty images)

Due to rising energy prices, just one in six UK residents are turning on the heat as frequently as they would like this December, according to a YouGov poll released on Wednesday.

Average energy costs have risen since this time last year due to the cold weather, leading many UK citizens to reduce their heat usage, the poll revealed.

The poll was conducted between December 2 and 5, and only 18% of UK citizens stated they were able to heat their residence for as long and as warm as they would like.

Even when the heat was on, more than 60% of people complained that it wasn't as warm or enduring as long as they would have wanted.

Significantly, the survey noted 15% of respondents claimed that the heat was not even switched on.
The poll found that the majority of UK citizens did not turn on the heat due to cost considerations. Either they were unable to afford it or they wanted to save money.

Only 9% of people chose not to turn on the heat because they were not cold.