British government TV ad urging households to take 30 seconds to cut energy bills | energy industry

[ad_1]

Households will be urged to take just 30 seconds out of their day to reduce their energy use as a government TV advertising campaign is launched in the UK aiming to finally cut bills.

The advert, part of an £18m campaign originally blocked by Liz Truss, will be broadcast during festive schedules from 8.30am on Tuesdays on terrestrial and satellite channels, including ITV, Channel 4 and Sky.

The ad suggests Brits should spend 30 seconds doing small actions such as lowering the boiler flow, turning off the lights, closing the blinds at night or reducing washing machine temperatures.

The ad states: “This is a 30-second ad – this isn’t long but it’s long enough to do something that can save you money on your energy bills…

“Each one you’ll do will take a good 30 seconds, and they all add up and can save you money.”

The Guardian revealed earlier this month that the campaign was set to finally launch with digital and outdoor advertising from December 17, with the slogan “It all adds up”.

The campaign began with a video on social media in which the Secretary of Energy, Grant Shapps, encourages people to save money while fighting a pesky elf on the shelf.

UK ministers have been urged to launch the campaign since the summer as officials elsewhere in Europe began asking businesses, public bodies and citizens to cut usage amid soaring energy bills and concerns about gas shortages after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In the UK, the government was ready to launch a campaign in October, but the move was blocked by Truss, who opposed the intervention of the “nanny state”.

Ministers have been careful not to advocate anything that would jeopardize public health amid concerns that efforts to cut energy bills will put lives at risk this winter.

Fire authorities last week urged homeowners to be careful with candles, wood stoves and electric heaters to cut energy bills at Christmas after a recent spate of home fires.

Subscribe to Business Today

Get ready for the work day – we’ll direct you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Critics argued that the campaign was launched too late to make a real difference this winter and that many families had already done their best to cut their bills.

The government has stepped in to mitigate the effects of rising energy bills with the Energy Rates Guarantee, which sets annual household bills at £2,500 until April and £3,000 thereafter for another year.

Business and Energy Secretary Lord Callanan said: “The Government’s ‘everything adds up’ energy saving campaign is already getting important information to millions of households across the country, offering them simple, low-cost, no-cost advice to cut down on their energy use and bills this winter.

“Simple steps can make a big difference in cutting bills, while keeping homes warm and safe, and through the launch of this new TV advert more people will be in the know and savings will continue to increase for UK households.”

[ad_2]