British people have been keeping their homes colder than their European counterparts during the cost of living crisis, research has revealed.
A study by thermostat manufacturer tado° analysed temperatures in over 650,000 homes across Europe and the UK in January.
Brits maintained the lowest average indoor temperature at 16.6C, with the Dutch coming in second at 16.9C.
The Danes and Swedes kept their homes warm and toasty at almost 20C, while the average temperature across Europe was 18.38C.
It comes as the energy regulator Ofgem's price cap on gas and electricity bills is set to fall by 12 per cent for the typical household from April 1.
Christian Deilmann, the Co-founder and CPO of tado°, said: “The British have shown they are hardier than anyone in Europe – their homes are more than 2°C cooler than those in Germany for instance.
“We have had two years of very high energy prices and we estimate that last year tado° customers who turned down their smart thermostats by a barely noticeable 1°C would have saved themselves about £75.
“It shows how you can heat your home smarter and still feel comfortable while saving money and cutting your energy consumption.”
Two years ago a European gas shortage and Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a global energy crisis that sent gas and electricity costs soaring.
The typical annual bill for a dual-fuel household paying by direct debit went from an average of £1,138 in October 2021 to £4,279 in January 2023.
The government stepped in to subsidise this through its energy price guarantee, which limited average bills to £2,500 between October 2022 and July 2023, but households still faced bills that had more than doubled.
However, energy bills will fall by around 12 per cent in April to their lowest levels since the Russian invasion, Ofgem said last month.
The energy regulator has set the cap for the average annual household dual fuel bill at £1,690, a saving of £238 over the course of a full year, for the April to June quarter.
