Wednesday 16 October 2013

Household battles waged over the thermostat

Squabbles between husband and wife are nothing new - but strangely energy could be another spark of contention.

A new study found nearly half (49%) of married or partnered Florida residents change the thermostat without their other half's knowledge but prefer not to argue about it.

US energy firm Florida Power & Light Company commissioned the survey of more than 1,500 Florida adults.

When asked about thermostat fiddling, a third (36%) said they pretend they don't know how the thermostat changed.

One in ten (12%) either blame someone else or say the thermostat must have mechanical problems.

Some claim the thermostat must have been bumped (9%) and improbably 3% say they blame the dog or cat.

When asked to choose, nearly half of Florida adults (47%) said being comfortable is most important to them, after saving money (44%). Only 9% of those polled viewed saving energy as most important to them.

Marlene Santos, vice president of Customer Service at FPL said: "These survey results highlight the reality that most people in Florida would rather be comfortable, even if they don't want to admit it and may end up spending more money on energy in the process."

She added: "Ideally, we'd like to help customers find the best balance of comfort and savings."