We’re now in the process of amplifying what we have heard from the 2,000+ people surveyed across the country — three-in-four of whom are struggling to cool their homes during summer as climate change acceleration impacts the health of people experiencing financial and social disadvantage.
Firstly, we want to say thank you to everyone who participated in the promotion of the ACOSS Heat Survey; you directly contributed to its success. We were so pleased to receive double the number of respondents than we have in previous years!
This week, we released the findings in our Heat in Homes 2026 Survey Report. Click here to access the media release.
See key findings to highlight:
- 91% of people said their home gets too hot in summer;
- 75% struggle to cool their homes, up from 54% in 2025;
- 97% of renters said their home gets too hot compared with 68% of owners;
- 86% of renters struggle to cool their homes compared with 32% of owners;
- 95% of First Nations people said their home gets too hot, compared with 89% of non-First Nations people;
- 93% of households with a disability or chronic illness said their home gets too hot;
- 93% reported difficulty sleeping, up from 83% in 2025;
- 60% reported physical health impacts and 60% reported mental health impacts;
- 17% sought medical attention for heat-related health effects, up from 14% in 2025;
- 77% are struggling with the cost of energy bills, up from 64% in 2025;
- 51% went without food, medicine or other essentials to pay energy bills;
- 96% are worried that summers are getting hotter; and
- 92-95% agreed governments should fund home energy upgrades, prioritise low-income housing, and require landlords to meet energy performance standards.