Of all the arguments facing British homes this winter, not one is more relatable than the great wasted electricity debate. So relatable in fact, that Compare the Market has produced new data to find out which scenarios of wasted energy in the home trigger the most arguments between family and friends.
The biggest gripe for the population is around heating the home. Although having the heating on whilst doors and windows are left open causes arguments amongst over 6.3million Brits, 12.9% of the population admit to being guilty of this charge. Similarly, while 13.5% of us argue about the heating being on when it’s “not essential”, 13.8% of the population admit to being the culprit to turning it on too soon – despite knowing it will cause arguments!
Having the heating on when not essential causes the most disagreements in Manchester, Brighton and Leeds; just under one in five adults (18%) in these three cities claim this has caused arguments in their household. However, only 16% of those in Manchester and Leeds, and 11% of Brighton residents admit to being guilty of this themselves. Edinburgh’s adults are the most likely to be guilty of this behaviour, with 19% admitting to popping the heating on when not really needed.
Some of the other biggest argument-starters around the UK are around leaving devices on charge or plug sockets left on unnecessarily and leaving lights on in unattended rooms. Leaving plug sockets switched on when not in use is more prevalent in women (38.8%) than men (31.7%) and causes arguments between 11% of adults. The research also revealed that Londoners disagree the most about plug sockets being left on when not in use (13.55%), closely by those living in Brighton (13.1%).
However, Glaswegians admit to leaving plug sockets on when not in use the most, with over two in five admitting to doing so (43%), followed closely by those in Plymouth (42.3%) and Liverpool (41.6%). In fact, only 36% of Londoners are guilty of doing this energy wasting habit.
The arguments we are having differ depending on the time of day, too, it seems. One in five of us are guilty of leaving the lights on during the night, with almost the same number of adults guilty of leaving lights on inside once the house is left for the day. Cardiff residents disagree about leaving lights on when having left the house more than the average brit – 15.5% compared to just 8.6%, while 13.8% of Edinburgh residents argue more than anywhere else about leaving lights on in the day. However, it’s the Bristolians that leave their lights on more than any other city (16.1%).
Another night-time peeve of the UK’s is leaving the fridge/freezer door open – over 4.1million people have disagreed about this, whilst one in ten admit to being night-time fridge-loiterers. Residents of Southampton are the most likely to disagree about leaving the fridge door open (10.9%), even though those in Plymouth are most likely to do so (15%).
Leaving devices on charge long after they need charging is another of the UK’s biggest argument starters. Leaving things on charge all night has caused disagreements with almost 3million UK adults. Males are less likely to be guilty of this habit with one quarter admitting to this, compared to almost one-third of females! Brighton residents are most likely to leave devices on charge all night with almost two in five admitting to doing so, followed closely by those in Nottingham (36.9%). However, this has caused the most disagreements in the last year in Newcastle where 10% have disagreed about this annoying habit.
The top ten energy-wasting habits which cause the most arguments in UK households:
| Causes of household disagreements | % of the UK which argue about this | Number of people who argue about this |
| Having the heating on when it is not essential | 13.5% | 7,264,727 |
| Leaving internal or external lights on during the night | 12.3% | 6,618,973 |
| Having the heating on with windows/doors open | 11.7% | 6,296,097 |
| Leaving plug sockets switched on when not in use | 10.9% | 5,865,594 |
| Leaving internal or external lights on all day | 8.7% | 4,681,713 |
| Leaving internal or external lights on when you leave your home | 8.6% | 4,627,900 |
| Filling the kettle up to the top unnecessarily | 8.5% | 4,574,087 |
| Leaving the fridge/freezer door open | 7.7% | 4,143,585 |
| Leaving external doors unlocked when you go to bed | 6.0% | 3,228,767 |
| Leaving devices on charge all night | 5.4% | 2,905,890 |
You can find more information on the disagreements caused by energy-wasting habits in the interactive section on the Compare the Market Guide to Smart Meters page, as well as further information on vampire energy and the nation’s knowledge of energy use.
Image by Olya Adamovich from Pixabay