More than half of households (54%) fall out at least once a week over energy use, with nearly three in five (57%) arguing over lights left on and two fifths (44%) having rows over leaving the TV on[1]
Britain’s parents turn off three billion lights in empty rooms every year, and close windows and doors left open two billion times a year[2]
A fifth of couples (22%) argue weekly about the cost of heating, while a similar proportion (17%) row about not putting on a jumper before putting the heating on[3]
Almost half of children (46%) help to save energy around the house, and in a tenth of households (9%) kids are the best at turning off unused lights[4]
Households can avoid quarrels by tracking their energy consumption with free mobile app Utrack by Uswitch.com, which offers detailed insights into usage and ways to save money on energy.
Parents claim they turn off 333 lights in empty rooms around the home each year on average – meaning Britain’s mums and dad switch off more than three billion lights every year[2], according to new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison service.
Sky-high gas and electricity costs are causing friction in the home, with more than half of households (54%) falling out over energy use every week[1].
Leaving lights on in empty rooms causes an average of 57 fights a year, with more than three in ten households (31%) rowing at least once a week about the bad habit[1] – which is estimated to add nearly £11 a year to energy bills[6].
The next biggest household bugbear is leaving the television on when no one is watching it, which causes 45 arguments a year. Parents claim they turn off the TV 218 times a year on average[2].
While households without children claim to argue less, couples still admit to having disagreements about energy. Partners fight on average 37 times a year about the cost of heating, 28 times about having the heating on while the other person isn’t wearing a jumper, and 20 times about using the tumble dryer[3].
Table: Most common households arguments
| Issue | Arguments per year | % of households arguing at least once a week |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving lights on in empty rooms | 57 | 31% |
| Leaving the TV on with no one watching | 45 | 24% |
| Cost of heating | 41 | 22% |
| Leaving open doors to the outside | 37 | 19% |
| Energy bills | 35 | 20% |
| Keeping appliances on standby | 34 | 18% |
| The temperature of the thermostat | 33 | 17% |
| Too much time spent on games consoles | 32 | 15% |
| Having the heating on when people aren’t wearing a jumper | 32 | 19% |
| Leaving windows open | 31 | 17% |
| Cost of showers and baths | 28 | 17% |
| Leaving the fridge door open | 27 | 14% |
| Using the tumble dryer | 24 | 12% |
Other bad habits include turning up the temperature of the thermostat, and putting the heating on when people aren’t wearing jumpers. Parents claim they have to turn down the thermostat 135 times a year, and shut doors and windows some 240 times a year.
Table: Most common household bad habits
| Bad Habits | The number of times a year households do this (average) |
|---|---|
| Leave lights on in empty rooms | 146 |
| Turn up the temperature of the thermostat | 146 |
| Leave the TV on with no one watching | 140 |
| Put the heating on when you’re not wearing a jumper | 125 |
| Leave the fridge open for a minute or more | 104 |
| Leave open a door that leads outside | 99 |
| Leave the windows open when the heating is on | 94 |
Many kids are helping to save energy around the house, with almost half of households with children (46%) saying that everyone plays a part. One in eight parents (12%) with children aged five to 17 say that their kids are better at turning off lights and gadgets than they are[4].
There’s a big nationwide divide between stress over energy use, with two thirds of people in Belfast (65%) arguing weekly about the subject, closely followed by Bristol (62%) and Cardiff (61%). Sheffield residents are the most relaxed, with only two fifths (40%) rowing weekly, followed by Brighton and Southampton on 42%[5].
To help households understand and adapt their energy use, Uswitch.com has launched its free mobile app Utrack.
Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “Getting into good energy habits as a household can save a lot of money, and it’s important to remember that everyone in the home can play their part.
“Simple changes such as turning off lights or TVs when not in use, unplugging devices from standby where possible or shutting windows and doors during colder months can all make a difference.
“You can’t always tell if changing your habits is making a difference until you see your bill – unless you track your usage. People using the Utrack app, which connects to their smart meter, can see the impact on their bills with hourly graphs, comparing gas and electricity use by day, week, month and year.”
Track your energy usage with Utrack by Uswitch here.
Notes
Research conducted online by Opinium, 13 January 2023 to 17 January 2023, among 2,000 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Respondents were asked ‘How often, if at all, does your household argue about each of the following?’ Overall, 54% of respondents said they argued at least once a week about one or more energy use issues. See first table in release for number of fights per year and proportion of households arguing at least once a week about each issue.
2. Respondents were asked ‘How many times a week do you do each of the following?’ See second table in release for bad habits, and table below for good habits. Parents said they turned off lights in empty rooms 333 times a year. Respondents were asked ‘Who do you currently live with?’ 714 respondents lived with children. 714 / 2000 = 35.7%. 35.7% of 28.2 million UK households = 10 million UK households with children living at home. 333 x 10 million households = 3.35 billion lights in empty rooms turned off across the UK every year.
Table: Most common households good habits
Table: Most common households good habits
| Good habits | Times a year households do this |
|---|---|
| Turn off lights in empty rooms | 364 |
| Turn off the TV in a room where no one’s watching | 244 |
| Turn down the temperature of the thermostat | 68 |
| Close a door to the outside that someone else has left open | 104 |
| Close windows left open by someone else when the heating is on | 88 |
| Close a fridge that someone else has left open | 94 |
| Turn the heating off because someone’s not wearing a jumper | 68 |
3. Respondents were asked ‘How often, if at all, does your household argue about each of the following?’ See table below. Table: Couples arguments
Table: Couples arguments
| Issue | Arguments (Couples) | % of couples |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving lights on in empty rooms | 52 | 29% |
| Leaving the TV on with no one watching | 40 | 23% |
| Cost of heating | 37 | 22% |
| Energy bills | 30 | 17% |
| Leaving open doors to the outside | 36 | 19% |
| Having the heating on when people aren’t wearing a jumper | 28 | 17% |
| Keeping appliances on standby | 30 | 16% |
| The temperature of the thermostat | 29 | 16% |
| Cost of showers and baths | 24 | 15% |
| Leaving windows open | 28 | 15% |
| Too much time spent on games consoles | 30 | 14% |
| Leaving the fridge door open | 24 | 13% |
| Using the tumble dryer | 21 | 10% |
4. Respondents were asked ‘Which, if any, of the following statements do you agree with?’ 46% of households with at least one child at home said ‘Everyone in the household plays a part in saving energy’. 12% of those living with children aged five to 17 said ‘My children are better at turning off lights and gadgets than I am.’
5. Respondents were asked ‘How often, if at all, does your household argue about each of the following?’ See table for results.
Table: Regional arguments over energy bills
Table: Regional arguments over energy bills
| Location | Households arguing about energy bills at least once a week |
|---|---|
| Belfast | 65% |
| Bristol | 62% |
| Cardiff | 61% |
| London | 61% |
| Manchester | 60% |
| Norwich | 52% |
| Leeds | 51% |
| Plymouth | 51% |
| Liverpool | 50% |
| Birmingham | 49% |
| Glasgow | 49% |
| Nottingham | 49% |
| Newcastle | 46% |
| Edinburgh | 43% |
| Brighton | 42% |
| Southampton | 42% |
| Sheffield | 40% |
6. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/lighting/. Medium-use household electricity according to Ofgem is 2,900kWh a year. 11% of 2,900kWh is 319kWh, which costs £108.46 at current Energy Price Guarantee rates. If leaving lights on adds 10% to your lighting bill, this is an extra cost of £10.85.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.
