High energy bills? Almost half of us blame the kids

Almost a third of us (31 per cent) blame our spouse for leaving appliances switched on around the house. Women are more likely to blame their partners than men, with 36 per cent of women blaming partners compared to 26 per cent of men. Almost half (44 per cent) blame their children.

Whether it’s your kids leaving their gadgets on or your other half, these wasteful energy habits are sending energy bills soaring by around £600m a year across the UK.

But it’s no surprise with the number of gadgets we now own. The findings from an Ipsos MORI survey of 2,710 UK participants show the average number of gadgets in people’s homes has increased by 31 per cent since 2010. In particular, the number of kitchen gadgets has boomed.

Overall, the number of kitchen gadgets has increased by 58 per cent and more than twice as many households now own smoothie makers, electric juicers and ice cream makers compared to five years ago.