Alert – Mind your bins and food: Modern manners include turning off the lights and reducing waste, survey finds – News Alerts

Forget elbows off the table – modern manners now include being energy efficient and switching the lights off when not needed, a survey has revealed.

A resounding 97 per cent believe it is important to have house rules with a further 98 per cent agreeing that it is vital to define the boundaries of what is acceptable.

But financial pressures such as rising energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis have resulted in 89 per cent of Britons introducing more energy saving house rules.

Family home rules now include always turning off lights (63 per cent), putting plastic, cardboard and glass in the recycling bin (59 per cent), and never wasting food (56 per cent).

Three quarters (77 per cent) of the nation believe they help their homes to run smoothly, while two thirds (66 per cent) have introduced directives so that everyone knows what is acceptable.

Forget elbows off the table – modern manners now include being energy efficient and switching the lights off when not needed, a survey has revealed (Stock image)

Family home rules now include always turning off lights and putting plastic, cardboard and glass in the recycling bin (Stock image)

Limiting arguments (50 per cent), encouraging people to take responsibility for the running of the home (49 per cent), helping to set expectations (44 per cent) and encouraging people to think about costs (35 per cent) are also reasons for introducing house rules.

One in four (26 per cent) wanted to get the people in their household thinking about the environment and the impact their decisions make on the world.

The definitive set of rules for a happy, stress-free household was revealed new research of British families by Smart Energy GB.

Two thirds (69 per cent) surveyed say their parents had house rules when they were young, with one in four (24 per cent) imposing the same rules in their homes.

Teenagers and children under 12 are the most likely to break house rules, with one in ten (11 per cent) parents admitting that they are actually the ones who break their rules in their house.

Nine in ten (90 per cent) admit that it irritates them when someone breaks a house rule, resulting in an average of five arguments a week.

Despite this, over a third (38 per cent) have broken a friend or family member’s house rule when visiting their home.

MODERN FAMILY RULES, ACCORDING TO THE NATION:

1. Always turn off the lights when leaving the home – 63%

2. Always put plastic, cardboard and glass in the recycling – 59%

3. Don’t waste food – 56%

4. Shoes off at the front door – 51%

5. Always be as energy efficient as possible – 48%

6. Don’t leave wet towels on the floor – 41%

7. No screens at the dinner table – 38%

8. Don’t put empty cartons back in the fridge – 37%

9. Wipe up your crumbs after making food – 37%

10. Turn electrical items off at the plug – 36%

11. Don’t leave plates and glasses in the bedroom – 34%

12. Don’t switch TV channels when someone is watching a programme – 32%

13. Always put things back where you found them – 32%

14. Only boil the water you need – 30%

15. Always put the toilet seat down – 30%

16. Don’t turn the thermostat up without asking – 27% 17. Close doors when you leave a room – 26%

18. Always wash the bath/shower down after use – 25%

19. Only put the dishwasher on when it’s full – 24%

20. Don’t leave your phone on charge overnight – 18%