New research released today has revealed that the battle of the sexes rages on in homes across the country, with men and women likely to squabble over how warm they like their home, and displaying often opposing views on things such as how long to watch TV, whether to leave lights on and whether to have showers or baths.

uSwitch.com asked a sample of cohabiting men and women across the UK about their domestic energy usage and habits, and found some polar views, suggesting that some things really do come down to biology.

Baby it’s cold inside

• When it gets nippy indoors, both sexes are most likely to reach for the thermostat, yet more than two-thirds of men (36%) say their female partners like the house warmer than they do, with 18% saying they like it a lot warmer.
• 44% of men and 42% of frugal women say they never leave their heating on overnight, yet a further 10% of men and 11% of women admit to doing so in almost all rooms in their house.

• 14% of women report leaving the landing light on overnight, compared to just 11% of their male counterparts.
• It appears men are more nervy at night than females – 41% of all those who leave a light on overnight do so for security purposes; only 23% of women said the same.

• Men are marginally more likely to be couch potatoes – one fifth (22%) say they watch TV between 9-12 hours per week, with 14% of women saying the same. In addition, 24% of men vs. 23% of women report watching TV for 15 hours a week or more.
• Women are more likely to prefer a long soak in a hot bath (48%) whereas only 27% of their male counterparts said the same.
• 31% of women say they spend less than thirty minutes per week nattering on their home telephone, compared to 43% of men.