Three in four people are struggling to cool their homes during summer as dangerously hot homes are impacting the health of people experiencing financial and social disadvantage, concerning new research by ACOSS has revealed.
A survey of 2,070 people across Australia found three in four (75%) respondents said they struggle to cool their homes, a significant increase from 54% in 2025.
Nine in ten (91%) said their homes get too hot in summer, with many reporting they have to choose between food and medicine to pay their energy bills and many said their health has deteriorated because their home is too hot.
The health toll of overheated homes revealed in the survey is devastating, with more than nine in ten (93%) of respondents reporting difficulty sleeping, three in five (60%) reported physical and mental health impacts, and 17% had to seek medical attention in the past year due to heat.
People with a disability or chronic illness were three times more likely to seek medical attention for heat-related health effects, while First Nations people were twice as likely. Symptoms included heatstroke, dehydration, breathing problems, mental health impacts and flare ups of chronic illnesses.
Almost all renters (97%) said their homes get too hot and more than eight in ten (86%) said they struggle to cool their homes, compared to a third (32%) of homeowners.
Concerningly, almost four in five (77%) of people surveyed said they are struggling to pay their energy bills, up from 64% in 2025, despite many (73%) already trying to reduce energy usage.
Many said they cut back on using lights (75%), taking shorter or fewer showers (64%) and reduced their cooking (52%). Others said they avoid having people over (46%) and turn off appliances such as the fridge (26%) to try and keep their bills down.
To cope, half of respondents (51%) said they go without food, medicine or other essentials, half (48%) sought assistance from their energy retailer, two in five (42%) borrowed money from family or friends and two in five (40%) sold their belongings for cash.
Respondents overwhelmingly wanted governments to do more to improve the energy performance of homes for low-income housing (92%) and renters (95%) to protect them from the heat and save on energy bills.
