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.
ACOSS is calling on Governments to build on existing investments and commit to upgrading all social housing by 2031 with a priority on First Nations housing. They’re also calling for further investment to support states and territories to introduce mandatory energy performance standards for rental properties, and provide subsidies and no-interest loans so low-income homeowners can access upgrades.
Megan, a 51-year-old who receives JobSeeker and Commonwealth Rent Assistance and lives in social housing in Western Sydney, said she resorts to putting up her own insulation and sticking thermal material on her windows to try to keep temperatures down.
"Excessive heat is going to kill people who are vulnerable," Megan said.
"We need solutions and initiatives beyond libraries being open for limited hours, heatwaves don't keep council hours.
"We need more action from governments, things like insulation, solar panels and batteries in social housing for the benefit of all tenants."
ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said: “These findings are a serious warning to the government. It is absolutely devastating that we are seeing more people than ever before unable to cool their homes.
“They’re going without food and medicine to pay their power bills and suffering real health consequences. This is happening in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
“Climate change is accelerating and making heatwaves more frequent and intense. Urgent action is needed now; people can’t afford to wait.
“We need the government to urgently improve the energy performance of homes by helping people install insulation and solar and get off gas, prioritising renters, First Nations people and low-income home owners.
“This includes working with states and territories to introduce mandatory energy standards for rental properties.
“The government must also deliver permanent cost of living relief by raising the rate of JobSeeker and related payments and provide energy debt relief so people can afford their energy bills. People should not have to choose between eating and staying cool.”
The heat report can be found here.
Key findings:
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91% of people said their home gets too hot in summer
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75% struggle to cool their homes, up from 54% in 2025
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97% of renters said their home gets too hot compared with 68% of owners
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86% of renters struggle to cool their homes compared with 32% of owners
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95% of First Nations people said their home gets too hot, compared with 89% of non-First Nations people
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93% of households with a disability or chronic illness said their home gets too hot
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93% reported difficulty sleeping, up from 83% in 2025
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60% reported physical health impacts and 60% reported mental health impacts
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17% sought medical attention for heat-related health effects, up from 14% in 2025
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77% are struggling with the cost of energy bills, up from 64% in 2025
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51% went without food, medicine or other essentials to pay energy bills
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96% are worried that summers are getting hotter
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92-95% agreed governments should fund home energy upgrades, prioritise low-income housing, and require landlords to meet energy performance standards
Methodology: To track the intersection between housing, energy costs, heat, and people
experiencing financial and social disadvantage, ACOSS, in partnership with the First Nations Clean Energy Network and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, conducted a public online survey from December 5 2025 to January 28 2026. We received 2,070 responses from across all states and territories, spanning 830 postcode areas. 71.5% of residents received government income support; 66% are renters; 8.4% identified as First Nations and 61% were in households where someone had a disability or chronic health condition.
Contact details:
Lauren 0422 581 506