Brits Argue Over When to Turn On the Heating

Posted under Blog by Ruth

Latest research from the price comparison site, moneysupermarket.com, has shown that the question of when to turn on the heating is one that causes many arguments across the country.

A quarter of those who took part in the survey said they argued with family members over when to turn on the heating, 16 percent said they found it annoying that others turn on the heating too soon, and eight percent said they wanted to turn it on sooner than others in the house.

The survey also states that 750,000 people are going to wear extra layers this year in an effort to delay turning on their heating. Two thirds of those who are going so say it’s to save money, and around 18 percent say they cannot afford to pay their bills otherwise.

Utilities manager of moneysupermarket.com, Scott Byrom, said that ‘on average we use around 40 per cent of our annual fuel consumption between November and January’, though the results were ‘concerning’ – especially when it comes to children and the elderly.

Byrom’s advice for customers is to switch to monthly direct debit, and manage accounts online to get the best deals.

Moneysupermarket.com also have a number of other recommendations to help customers save money on fuel bills:

• Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree,
• Switch off appliances instead of leaving them on standby,
• Instead of heating the whole house, heat only the rooms you regularly use.
• Close curtains as soon as dusk sets to keep heat in,
• Install double glazing: though it’s costly to install it will cut heat loss through windows by around 50%,
• Use energy saving light bulbs,
• Take showers instead of baths.