A third of consumers ignore the details of their energy bill and just look at the amount they need to pay.

That’s according to a new study of 2,000 bill payers.

It showed people aged 55 and over read bills in most detail, studying them to understand their usage – with 47% doing so compared to the average of 38%.

In contrast, 18-34 year olds pay the least attention to their bills, with just 30% studying them in detail.

It also found there is a wide gap in understanding energy bills amongst age groups.

The study by uSwitch.com showed 18-34 year olds were the most likely to call on help to understand their bills (49%) and the least likely to have the confidence to provide others with advice (14%).

It also found less than one in ten (8%) use the information on their bill to compare prices or switch supplier.

It added consumers consider washing up dishes (53%), going food shopping (43%) and doing the laundry (38%) as more important than paying bills (37%).

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com, said: “The number of people turning a blind eye to their bills is extremely concerning.

“Bills don’t always deliver bad news – those leaving bills unopened could find their provider actually owes them money. In fact, we recently found 12 million homes could reclaim over £1 billion of credit from energy suppliers.”