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Energy arguments
What topics are causing the most energy bill arguments?
From leaving the lights on in empty rooms to battles over the air conditioner, arguments about energy use have become a regular part of household life. In fact, eight in ten Australians admit they’ve argued with someone they live with about habits that drive up energy bills. But which energy habits cause the most tension at home?
Energy comparison service iSelect surveyed 1,000 Australians to uncover the most common disputes they have over their energy bills.
The most common energy arguments
Leaving lights on is a persistent trigger for everyday conflict. Just under a quarter (22.8%) of households experience regular disagreements over lighting, making it the most widespread source of low-level tension nationally and the behaviour with the highest overall argument frequency. However, when iSelect looked at the cost of leaving the lights on, it found that doing so actually costs Australians an extra $1.86 a year.
Closely following are arguments over heating and air conditioning. Just over one in five households (22.2%) argue about temperatures inside their homes every month, with disagreement levels ranking among the highest across all energy behaviours. According to previous research by iSelect, air conditioners are the most power-hungry appliance in our homes, costing up to $1,500 a year to run. With cost-of-living pressures high, this explains why it might lead to such high levels of argument among households.
Laundry habits emerge as one of the most consistent sources of household energy disagreements. Nearly a quarter of households (22.9%) report arguing about washing machine use at least once a month, making laundry one of the highest contributors to ongoing tension across all energy-related behaviours.
Water use continues to generate conflict within households, with almost one in five Australians (19.3%) arguing regularly about shower length or frequency, the fourth most common energy argument in Australia. On the other end of the scale, bath usage is the least contentious energy habit. However, over one in ten (12.8%) of households still report regular disagreements in this area.
Men are more likely to report disagreements across all household energy behaviours, particularly around cooking methods, appliance usage, and heating and cooling. This could point to different attitudes towards comfort versus cost, or men being more willing to raise their opinions on the topic than women.
What energy arguments are most common among generations?
Household energy disagreements are far more common among younger Australians, which likely reflects both lifestyle and living arrangements, not just temperament. Younger Australians are up to 10-15 times more likely to clash over certain energy habits than those aged over 65, particularly around showers, gaming, and device charging.
This may be because younger adults are far more likely to be living in shared households due to high living costs and rental pressures. Sharing bills in these settings often leads to disagreements about fairness and energy use, since people have different habits and may contribute unequally to costs.
What energy arguments are most common in each state?
Victoria leads the nation when it comes to household energy bill arguments, with the state reporting the highest rates of regular conflict across almost every behaviour. However, some behaviours spark particularly strong disagreement in Victoria. Dishwasher use stands out, with 28.9% of Victorians reporting regular arguments, compared with roughly 17–18% in other states.
Heating and cooling is another point of contention, with Victoria’s 27.4% far above South Australia’s 16.9%. By contrast, Queenslanders and South Australians report far fewer disagreements than those in any other state. This is quite surprising, as previous research from iSelect found Victoria actually has one of the lowest electricity prices in Australia, while South Australia has one of the highest.1https://isu-cf-page-enterprise-wordpress.pages.dev/energy/insights/solar-payback-report/
“With cost-of-living pressures, it’s no surprise that energy bills are a source of tension in many households. Bill payers want to save wherever they can, while others prioritise comfort; these small disagreements can impact happiness and wellbeing.
“While habits like turning off lights or drying clothes outside can help reduce bills, they’re not the only factor. If you want to avoid arguments while still saving on energy, it’s worth reviewing your current plan and comparing alternatives to see if a cheaper option is available.”
Julia Paszka
General Manager – Utilities at iSelect
Written by:
Sarah Grealy
Digital Public Relations Specialist
0413 363 690
Sarah is our Digital Public Relations Specialist, and brings more than a decade of experience in the insurance comparison industry to iSelect.
With a passion for storytelling through data-driven insights, Sarah strives to empower Aussies with practical guides and tips.
About the data
We conducted this research to better understand how rising energy costs are influencing everyday household behaviours and whether these behaviours are contributing to arguments over energy bills. The research looks at how common energy-related activities such as heating and cooling use, laundry habits, lighting, appliance usage and technology use lead to household disagreements.
The results are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,009 Australians conducted on our behalf by PureProfile in January, 2026. Respondents were asked how often a range of common energy behaviours lead to disagreements in their household, using the following frequency scale: Never, Rarely (once or twice a year), Sometimes (a few times a year), Often (at least monthly), Very often (weekly or more) or Not Applicable.
For reporting and comparison purposes, the study primarily focuses on the percentage of respondents who reported disagreements occurring “Often” or “Very often”, representing regular or recurring conflict. “Not applicable” responses were excluded from frequency calculations to ensure results reflect only households where the behaviour is relevant.
In addition to frequency reporting, an overall argument frequency score was calculated for each behaviour to understand broader disagreement patterns across the full response distribution. Demographic comparisons were then conducted across gender, age group, relationship status and state to identify where disagreement patterns were most pronounced.
Finally, to assess whether the most common household energy disagreements are financially meaningful, survey results were compared against real-world household energy cost modelling from previous campaigns, including analysis of everyday electricity usage of appliances and standby power consumption.
Due to small sample sizes in the Northern Territory, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, their state-based results have been excluded in reporting within this research.
iSelect does not compare all energy insurance providers or policies in the market. The availability of policies will change from time to time. Not all policies available from its providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, your stated needs and circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Some policies and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
About 
At iSelect, we’re passionate about making Aussies’ lives easier by saving them time, effort and money. We are Australia’s go-to destination for comparison across insurance, utilities and personal finance products made available from our range of providers. Our service is provided at no cost to the customer.
iSelect General Pty Ltd (ABN 90 131 798 126. AFSL 334115) has partnered with Compare the Market (ABN 83 117 323 378. AFSL 422926) to compare a range of car insurers and policies. Not all providers in the market or all policies offered by the partners are compared and not all policies or special offers are available to all customers.
A number of our participating general insurance brands are arranged by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd ACN 003 617 909 on behalf of Auto & General Insurance Company Limited 111 586 353, both of which are related entities of iSelect Limited. Our relationship with those companies does not impact the integrity of our comparison service. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
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