TV personality Peter Andre is campaigning for Brits to be more energy efficient and has revealed why he’s introduced new rules into his household. 

New research shows that UK renters believe setting house rules around energy efficiency is important.

And Andre, 51, has opened up on how getting a smart meter has changed energy use in his household, prompting him to introduce more energy saving rules to set a good example to his kids. 

“With such a large family, it’s important that we have a few rules to make sure our home runs smoothly,” he said.

“We have always encouraged the kids to make the planet better, and some of our new house rules like turning off lights when you’re not in the room were prompted by getting our smart meter.

(Image: Smart Energy GB)

“The in-home display which came with the smart meter shows us exactly how much energy we’re using and has helped us to better understand.

“Now, when we encourage the kids to turn the lights off when they leave a room, try to keep their showers to five minutes and to turn their chargers off when they’re not using them, they can see the impact of those changes on the in-home display.”

Peter is in good company, with ‘always turn off the lights when leaving the house’ topping a list of energy efficiency rules among the country’s renters, according to new research by Smart Energy GB.

Among the estimated 8.6m renting households in the UK, almost all (97%) believe that it is important to have rules around energy efficiency in the home, with over half (51%) implementing them to both help the environment and reduce energy bills.

With over half of renters (58%) keeping an eye on wasteful use of lights, it’s no surprise that 54% said that they want the members of their household to be aware of their energy consumption, while a further 45% just want their family to be as energy efficient as possible.

In addition, 36% have a rule that all electrical items should be turned off at the plug when not in use, 23% want people to only boil the water they need and 20% say that phones should not be left on charge overnight.

Smart meters are a simple step to improve energy efficiency behaviours in your household because they come with an in-home display which shows you exactly how much energy you’re using, and how much it is costing you.

Victoria Bacon, Smart Energy GB, said: “Requesting a smart meter from your energy supplier is simple to do and effective at helping to put you in control of your energy use. If you rent and the energy bill is in your name, you can ask your energy supplier to fit a smart meter, but it’s recommended that you tell your landlord before you get one. If your landlord pays the bills, ask them if they would be happy to arrange the upgrade.”

Most (96%) of the 1011 renters across the UK surveyed say that their parents had house rules when they were young, with nearly half having the same amount or more rules than their parents did.

Children under 12 (33%) and teenagers (26%) are the most likely to break house rules among renting families, with one in ten (11%) of parents admitting that they break their own rules.