18 October 2010

Colder weather causing family arguments over heating

Chilly Brits have admitted to arguing with their family about whether or not to turn the heating on, as it is revealed that current energy prices stand at a record high.

A fifth of Brits surveyed by moneysupermarket.com said they get irritated because someone they live with switches the heating on before they want to, causing arguments in 33 percent of cases. A further 13 percent of us admit to arguing with family or a housemate because they want to turn it on sooner than everyone else, while more than 24 million would rather wear extra layers this winter than turn the thermostat up.

"The 21 heating war is on, with Brits all over the country arguing about whether to turn the heating on this year," said Scott Byrom, moneysupermarket.com energy manager.

"There is no doubt many of us will be worried about an expensive energy bill landing on the doormat in January, so reaching for a jumper or putting on some extra layers might seem like a good option if the chill factor isn't too high."

The 18-34 year old group was revealed to be the most cautious group about using as 52 percent said they would rather wrap up than turn the heating up and the South West is the most likely to do this regionally with 61 percent admitting to this.

On average Brits use about 4 percent of their annual fuel consumption between November and January but with 25 percent of heat being lost through poorly insulated roofs there are still ways to reduce the bill.

Recent statistics released by the Government highlighted the problem of rising energy prices as 4.5 million are living in fuel poverty.

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With energy prices about to increase and online discounts becoming sparser, it is now more important than ever to ensure you have the best deal for your household needs and to prevent arguing over it.

Moneymaxim also offers an additional service where households can sign up to use a special energy monitor which means when your current deal no longer becomes competitive we will let you know directly.

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