51 percent of students fall ill as a result of cold accommodation

A recent press release has revealed that 51 percent of students questioned in a survey commissioned by Dreamland have admitted to falling ill as a result of cold university accommodation.

Close to one third of the survey’s respondents said that they would have to do without other essentials if they had to pay for heating, while 49 percent replied that they would avoid putting the heating on to save money.

In addition, the survey has discovered that 54 percent of students questioned believe that their work has been affected by having a cold room, with nine percent saying that they missed lectures because it was too cold to get out of bed and 13 percent saying that they would stop work to find a way to keep warm.

This survey tracks the issue of the rising cost of central heating and the implications this has for university students.

Cold accommodation for students is not just a cost issue, with the survey also revealing that 24 percent of those questioned said suffering without central heating leads to depression.

James Ward, a second-year German and Business student,said: “As I was paying a set figure for our accommodation last year, I left the heating on most of the time.

“However, being in a student house in Leamington and being responsible for bills, I haven’t switched the heating on since moving in. I just put a jumper on instead.”

Jim Burrows, a second-year English Literature student, said: “Our house usually puts on the heating for a couple of hours a day and I’ve never felt particularly chilly – the heating is more reliable than it was in Jack Martin at the very least!”

Argha Sarkar, a second-year Computer Science student, expressed how much colder his house in Leamington is than his first-year campus accommodation: “My accommodation last year was quite warm.

“My house this year is definitely colder as we do not use central heating but use personal electric heaters in our bedrooms.

“Our boiler makes a lot of noise so we only use it for washing up.”

Jordan Flynn, a second-year History student, commented: “Last year was frustrating because I had literally no control over my radiator and it was boiling or freezing at random times.

“This year my room is really cold because I have two outside walls and it’s horrible.

“Also our hot water is on ‘economy’ so if you’re not first in the shower you have to have a cold one.”

Beth Morris, a second-year Sociology student, agreed: “The radiator in my room in Westwood couldn’t be turned off and I was unable to open my windows enough to make much of a difference.

“Obviously I was very grateful for the heat in the winter months but in the summer and even spring, it was a nuisance and a waste of heat energy if nothing else!”