One of the common topics that is often argued about in a relationship is money. In fact, according to a study by the well-known American magazine Time, couples discuss money more than anything else:as many as 60 percent of married couples check their bank account more often than they have sex with their partner.
Of course we are only too happy to blame our other half, especially when it comes to energy consumption in the house. Admit it, how often do you say "See you!" when your boyfriend or husband forgets to turn off the light? But who actually consumes the most when we compare the amount of energy that men and women waste in the house?
Women, energy monsters?
Admittedly, we women are a lot more concerned with our appearance than men, and you soon notice that in the energy bill. While your boyfriend or husband probably doesn't do much with their hair other than comb through or gel it, you put a lot more effort into making it look good. This immediately includes the use of a hairdryer and straightening or curling iron. Men also generally finish washing their hair faster than women, so they spend less time in the shower.
This may not sound like a huge energy saver, but when we look at the water consumption during a shower, we see that the number of minutes makes a significant difference. With a normal (economy) shower, standing in the shower for five minutes consumes about 40 liters of water; if you shower for 15 minutes a day, you immediately waste about 80 liters more. And we haven't even added the gas consumption yet.
Then let's take a look at our energy consumption in the living room and kitchen. It may sound cliché, but chances are you're the one who does most of the chores at home. The iron, the vacuum cleaner, the washing machine, the oven, the dishwasher:all of them are energy guzzlers that we use.
… But:let's nuance this
Before you think that only we women use energy in the house, we have to nuance this, because men can also do a lot of it. Just think of watching a lot of TV or sitting in front of the computer that we often whine about to our other half. In addition, men are often a lot more nonchalant than women and they leave the fridge open for too long a little more often or they forget to turn off the heating or turn off the light when they leave a room.
So wasting energy is not really something that is typical for a particular gender. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to take into account the activities with which you use the most energy at home. For example, the water or heating does not always have to be piping hot and it is wise to pay attention to the energy consumption when purchasing household appliances.
You can also save a lot of money by comparing energy. By comparing energy contracts, you can immediately see which supplier is the cheapest. This way you can be sure that you are not paying too much for the energy you use. Usually it is the men who are concerned with matters such as the energy contract, but let's face it:we women can do that too, right?
