By Elliot Wright, February 16th 2010
With the price of energy ever increasing Brits are still falling
foul of bad habits that will send their bills through the roof.
Despite 76% of the UK population claiming that the big winter
freeze has made them more aware of their energy usage, a massive
10% still preheat their homes all day to return to a warm house
after work, according to a survey by price comparison site
Confused.com.
The survey also showed that 37% of homeowners reach for the
thermostat dial before considering putting on some extra layers to
warm up. The average home owner turns up the heat to a staggering
22.c - hotter than Miami in January.
Pet owners can also be accused of being somewhat wasteful with
energy, with 22% of them leaving the central heating on in empty
homes for their four legged friends.
Despite fears of high energy bills, only one third are
considering switching to a cheaper tariff sometime this year.
Despite fears of high energy bills, only
one third are considering switching to a cheaper tariff sometime
this year.
Gareth Kloet, head of energy at Confused.com said: "In order to
minimise the impact of unnecessarily high bills, it's important to
realise that winter doesn't stop when you go through your front
door. Jumpers and extra layers that keep you warm outdoors do work
just as well inside and do not load your energy bills."
"It's disappointing that, whilst 76% of home owners admit to
being more aware of the energy they are using, they are not using
this increased awareness as inspiration to bring their cost down in
the simplest, quickest way possible: by finding the most
appropriate tariff and provider for them."
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