These are the top 20 things Sheffield families argue about the most

Sheffield has been named as the fourth most tempestuous city in the UK when it comes to household spats – with households in the city having 296 rows a year.

Leaving lights on (28%) wasting food (14%) and deciding when to put the heating on (14%) are common catalysts for family feuds in Sheffield, whilst messiness (39%) paying the bills (20%) and leaving the toilet seat up (20%) also play a part.

And it seems that squabbles over sustainability are spurred on by Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion, leading to over half (51%) of Brits becoming more eco-conscious at home.

The research was conducted by Smart Energy GB, the campaign for a smarter Britain, to highlight the small steps Brits can take, such as getting a smart meter, to improve energy efficiency at home

Almost half of people from Sheffield (48%) want to increase the heat as soon it feels cold, whilst over a fifth (21%) of eco-conscious Sheffield residents feel their family members want the heating on too early and 7% even insist the heating shouldn’t be turned on until at least November.

UK cities that have the most household arguments are:

London (328)

Norwich (328)

Stoke-on-Trent (302)

Sheffield (296)

Glasgow (281)

Liverpool (276)

Manchester (270)

Leeds (256)

Brighton (250)

Cambridge (244)

Robert Cheesewright, Director of Corporate Affairs at Smart Energy, said: “It’s great to see so much passion and consideration when it comes to energy saving and sustainability amongst modern families.

“We are facing a climate crisis, but fortunately there are lots of small changes households can make to help, and getting a smart meter is one easy option. A smart meter is the first step towards taking control of our energy usage, reducing waste and upgrading our energy system to pave the way for a cleaner, greener future.

The most common modern day family frustrations in Sheffield are:

Messiness 39%

What and when to eat 29%

People leaving lights on when not needed 28%

The household budget 22%

Someone leaving wet laundry in the washing machine, so it has to be washed again 22%

People leaving the toilet seat up 20%

Homework 20%

Paying the bills 20%

Someone taking your phone charger 18%

Who should do the chores/housework 18%

What films or TV to watch 16%

Deciding what takeaway to get 16%

When to put the heating on 14%

People running taps for too long 14%

People wasting food 14%

Who should put the bins out 14%

People coming in late and waking everyone else up 14%

What time kids should go to bed 10%

Temperature 8%

How or what to recycle 8%

And as we head into ‘staying-in-season’, what to watch on TV is set to become a bone of contention for couples and families alike, with the average household in Sheffield spending 19 minutes deciding what to settle down in front of.

In fact, a massive 77% admit that they’ve watched things that no one wanted to watch because everyone wanted to watch different things.

But it isn’t all bad news for rowing residents from Sheffield, as they are keen to get along. When asked what could help to solve domestic disputes, talking more (31%), everyone pulling their weight (33%) and putting yourself in other people’s shoes (22%) scored highly, whilst more than one in 10 (14%) also feel getting a smart meter to track energy usage and reduce waste would help.

And when it comes to working together, trying to save money (60%) is a top household goal for people in Sheffield, followed by eating healthily (39%), recycling more (28%) becoming more energy efficient (14%), spending quality time together (31%) and using the car less (4%).