Thermostats set to spark a billion household rows this winter
Households are set to bicker over the thermostat 972 million times this winter – equivalent to a row every other day****
Six in ten (57%) adults admit they go behind the backs of their loved ones to change the thermostat****
Millennials make the most pedantic partners, set to fight with their other halves more than 40 times during winter****
Smart home tech could usher in a new era of deception, with one in ten (12%) adults admitting they would secretly control the thermostat from their phone****
However, turning the heating down by just one degree could potentially save the nation a collective £2.3 billion****
com has partnered with Dr James Betts of University of Bath to reveal that a slightly lower household temperature may also be beneficial to people’s waistlines by speeding up their metabolic rates.
Brits will clash over the heating a colossal 972 million times this winter, according to new research from Uswitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service. The average household is set to squabble over the thermostat every other day over the Christmas period and beyond.
Couples are the worst culprits, averaging over 24 thermo-spats throughout winter or two per week. However, millennials have proven to be the pedantic partners, fighting over the thermostat with their other halves more than 40 times over the winter months.
According to the research, six in ten (57%) adults admit they will go behind the backs of their loved ones to sneakily change the heating in their homes without anyone else knowing. But, even more friction at home could be on the way thanks to smart home technology. Rather than sneak off to manually change the thermostat, one in ten (12%) adults admit that they would secretly control the temperature from their phone if they had the ability to do so. Almost one in ten (7%) men even own up to the fact that – if they had a smart thermostat – they would only allow the app to be installed on their phone, to prevent anyone else taking remote control.
The average temperature for the central heating in British homes is set at 20oc. However, scientific studies show that it’s beneficial to lower the heating by just a degree for health as well as financial reasons. Dr James Betts, Research Scientist at the University of Bath, says that lowering the temperature by just one degree could benefit people’s waistlines by advancing an individual’s metabolic rate, and in turn, increasing the number of calories burned. Given the tradition of Christmas indulgence, this could be just what the nation needs to help stay trim over the festive period as well as avoiding household heating feuds.
Dr James Betts adds: “While a room temperature of 20oc or more may be comfortable for many people, a slightly cooler environment can encourage your body to work harder to keep you warm. As your body works to maintain its core temperature, it may spend more calories and so go some way to make up for any excessive holiday binging. However, anyone hoping this increase in metabolism will help them manage their body weight should also be aware that a cooler home could also lead to a bigger appetite, and make those seasonal treats even harder to resist.”
As well as keeping the Christmas calories at bay, dialling down the thermostat by just one degree could save an average household around £85 per year on their energy bills – enough to make a decent contribution to the cost of Christmas. If all households across the nation did the same, it would result in a collective annual saving of some £2.3 billion.
Claire Osborne, Uswitch.com energy expert, says: “Arguments over the heating are an age-old tradition and it’s a constant battle to keep everyone happy. However, turning the thermostat down by just one degree could reduce energy bills by around £85 a year, and even help prevent piling on quite so many Christmas calories. So next time you’re tempted to secretly turn up the heating up this winter, remember you could save money, preserve your waistline and side-step an unnecessary household row by turning it down instead.”
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitchhere.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jason Wakeford
Phone: 0203 872 5612
Email: jason.wakeford@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
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