• The UK spends £2.2 billion annually on unnecessary heating
• Brits admit to having the heating on for 6.5 hours longer than needed every week
• North vs. South – southerners hold out longer than northerners to turn on central heating
   

New research1 from Direct Line Home Insurance reveals people waste more than £2.2 billion heating their homes when it is not needed. UK householders confess to leaving the central heating on unnecessarily for six and a half hours per week, with nearly a fifth (18 per cent) admitting to warming their home when it’s not needed for ten hours or more every week.

More than half (51 per cent) of Britons admit to heating their homes when they are out of the property and not returning, or when it isn’t necessary to have the heating on. British homeowners heat their properties for nearly 59 hours per week2 with the heating on unnecessarily 11 per cent of the time. With an average annual heating bill3 of £747, turning off the heating when not needed could save a household £82.52 - a total saving of £2.23 billion across the nation4.

People in the capital waste the most energy, as Londoners say they use nine hours of unnecessary heating each week. Northern Ireland ranks second for wasting money on heating, with seven hours and 48 minutes wasted every week. This contrasts with five hours 36 minutes wasted heating in the East Midlands and five hours 42 minutes in the North East, West Midlands, Wales and South East.
 

Table one: Regional differences in hours of unnecessary heating per week

Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2017
 

The average UK household keeps the heating on for nearly half the year (5.4 months).  This rises to 7.1 months a year for people in Northern Ireland and 6.6 months annually for Scots, not altogether surprising given the climate.

The most common time for UK adults to first turn on their heating is October (42 per cent), following an average temperature drop to 6.1⁰C5. A fifth (27 per cent), do not resort to central heating until the average temperature falls to 3.2⁰C.  Bucking the reputation of Southerners as “softies”, when looking at the most common month for Brits to turn on their central heating those in the South are amongst the last to turn on the radiators.
 

Table two: Regional breakdown of heating habits during October

Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2017
 

People are not only wasteful with their heating, which has a financial and environmental impact, but also with hot water.  People surveyed admit to having their hot water on unnecessarily for five and a half hours every week. Once again, Londoners are the worst culprits with adults in the capital confessing to over 10 (10.5) hours of needlessly heated water each week. People also waste energy in other ways, with over two thirds (67 per cent) of people admitting to leaving lights on when not needed and, worryingly, a third (32 per cent) admitting to unintentionally leaving on the hob or oven.

Jenny Trueman, head of connected homes at Direct Line, commented: “There are smart solutions today that enable temperature and heating control from a distance, so people don’t need to waste energy unnecessarily.  The development of smart homes can help people potentially save money each year on their electricity and gas bills.  Wasted energy doesn’t just cause financial strain but also has an environmental impact, so we all have a responsibility to make sure that we use resources responsibly. We encourage householders to consider the home technologies available to manage their homes more efficiently. These technologies can also help with safety in the home as lighting can be turned on ready for your return and cameras and alarms to remotely monitor who enters your property.”

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors

• 1Research conducted by Opinium among 2,006 UK adults between 4th and 8th August 2017.
• 2Average hours spent with heating on calculated based on the findings of the “How heating controls affect domestic energy demand: A Rapid Evidence Assessment”, published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in January 2014. Households participating in the 2011 Energy Follow-Up Survey reported an average of 8 hours and 15 minutes of central heating use on weekdays and 8 hours and 39 minutes of use on weekends.
• 3Average annual heating bill calculated based on the average of electricial and gas-based central heating prices published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in its annual domestic energy bills dataset (“Average expenditure each week on fuel per consuming household in the UK (QEP 2.6.2)”, published on 29 June 2017).
• 4Total UK saving figure based on the application of a saving of £82.52 for each of the 26,994,000 households in the UK, as published by the ONS in its “Households in the UK” dataset on 17th March 2016.
• 5Average minimum temperature figures based on Met Office weather averages for 1981-2010 for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For further information please contact:

Claire Foster

Deputy head of news 

Direct Line Group

Tel: 01651 831 672

Email: [email protected]
 

Antonia Green

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

[email protected]

0207 282 2967
 

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Direct Line and UK Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.

Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 3761 or visiting www.directline.com/home-cover