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Families are tearing themselves apart as they grapple with the big question of the day… is it time to turn the heating back on?
Many are also having rows over lights being left on in the house when no-one is in the room, as they try to reduce their bills. Research, which comes as UK temperatures start to plummet, found 35% of Brits have blazing rows over the heating being turned on too soon or too high.
Eric King, a director at Amazon, which did the study, said: “The research shows that energy usage is at the root of many household quarrels.” Folk also admit getting into arguments with relatives about running a half-empty washing machine, overfilling the kettle and not turning off outside lights.
READ MORE: You're switching heating on too early as expert shares best date to heat up home
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The poll of 2,000 adults also found blokes are happy with the temperature being turned up to amaximum of 19C, but women prefer 20C.
Men and women’s different preference for how hot their homes are results in them having eight rows a month. Monday, October 30 is the date most folk said they will turn on their heating for the first time – but one in 20 will hold out until December before flicking it on.
Meanwhile, more than 10% of Scottish households say they were forced to turn on their heating in August, because of cooler summer weather in the country this year. More than half of people say instead of turning on their heating to stay warm, they are pulling on extra clothes or wrapping up in blankets.
Around 50% have started washing clothes at a lower temperature in an attempt to slash their bills and more than one in four have turned off radiators in little-used rooms.
It was also revealed 45% of people are now more worried about their energy bills than they were last year.
To help households reduce their energy usage, Amazon has programmed its Alexa virtual assistants with energy saving tips from the Government’s website.
Customers who ask ‘Alexa, how can I reduce my energy bill?’ will be given advice on how to conserve energy.
As a result of Ofgem reducing its pricecap from October, the average household’s energy bills will be £1,923 a year between this month and December – down from £2,074 in the previous period.
But for one in three households in England, their bills are predicted to be higher this winter than last because the Government has stopped giving people support payments, which helped cover their energy costs.
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