The amount of energy we use is a major bone of contention in millions of British households according to new research conducted by Amazon.
Common household disagreements include friends and relatives’ squabble over the thermostat, and lights and mobile phone chargers being left on. Nearly half (43%) of UK people have disagreements with their family or housemates over lights being left on in the house when no one is in the room, while 35% of Brits have household disputes over having the heating set too high.
With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to bite, 45% of people are now more worried about their energy bills than they were last year. Earlier this year, as energy prices rocketed, Amazon Alexa announced customers would now be able to access an energy dashboard via the Loop Energy Saver skill to help them better understand their energy consumption.
The update gave customers the option to monitor energy usage by connecting their smart meter, via the Loop Energy Saver app, to see their household energy consumption, with simple commands such as “Alexa, show me my energy dashboard”, and “Alexa, how much energy am I using?”’.
Amazon Alexa can now give you the latest energy saving tips
This year, Amazon is working with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) on their new Help for Household campaign ‘It All Adds Up’. Alexa has been updated with the latest energy saving tips from gov.uk/saveenergy and customers are able to ask “Alexa, give me some energy saving tips” to hear a number of affordable tips to get ready for winter and to conserve energy. The experience will be available via Amazon Echo devices and on mobile, via the Alexa app.
In addition, Amazon Echo devices offer a low power mode which automatically reduces energy consumption when the device is idle. Customers may also choose to set up personalised Alexa Routines via the Alexa mobile app to ensure that all compatible connected light bulbs are turned off when not in use.
Research shows top 10 household disagreements
The research showed the ideal room temperature for men was 19 degrees, with women preferring it a degree warmer at 20 degrees. Londoners preferred their room temperature to be above 20 degrees, compared to the rest of the country who were happy at 19 degrees. When quizzed on the date they’re most likely to switch their heating on for the first time, more people picked the week of Monday October 30th than any other date, but one in 20 will hold out until December before flicking the switch on their central heating, to keep bills down. Meanwhile, more than 10% of Scottish households had already turned on the heating in August as a result of the cool summer this year.
Eric King, Director of Alexa Europe Amazon said: "The research shows that energy usage is at the root of many household quarrels. We announced “Alexa, show me my energy dashboard” last year, and it has been enhanced even further with customers now able to ask “Alexa, give me some energy saving tips” to hear a number of affordable tips from gov.uk/saveenergy to help customers conserve energy, and hopefully diffuse some of those debates.”
To bring their energy bills down, 54% have put on extra clothing or blankets to stay warm, before turning on the heating. More than half (51%) wash their clothes at a lower temperature, while 41% turn off radiators in little-used rooms.
Amazon is on a path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target. In 2020, Amazon became the first consumer electronics company to commit to addressing the electricity used by Amazon-branded devices through renewable energy development, starting with Echo devices.
Visit Loop Energy Saver Skill to learn more about how Alexa can help customers understand their household energy usage.
