Showers instead of baths and don't leave devices on standby: Government to roll out £25m cost of living campaign
24 November 2022, 13:19 | Updated: 24 November 2022, 13:29
The government is preparing a public information blitz to give millions of Brits advice that could save them hundreds of pounds on their energy bills this winter.
As families up and down the country continue to grapple with rising household bills and expenses, the government is planning to roll out a public information campaign that will assist people through the cost of living and energy crisis.
The campaign reportedly cost £25million to develop and will outline eight key ways in which Brits can make savings of up to £420 a year.
The advice package is set to feature celebrity faces as well as MPs, to help catch the public's attention.
READ MORE: Energy bills could spike to £6,000 next year, experts warn
The savings hacks will include tips on how to save on on water and heating, while aiming to disrupt people's lifestyles as little as possible.
The public information campaign is expected to encourage people to turn down the temperatures of their boilers; a hack which experts estimate could save homeowners up to £80.00 per annum.
Brits will be encouraged to put in time restrictions on when they use their central heating systems, after experts revealed that turning off not-in-use central heating systems and radiators could both result in equal savings of up to £105.00.
People will also be encouraged to consider taking showers instead of baths, in a plan to decrease water use.
The start date of the campaign has not yet been revealed, but its arrival may come as some respite to those whom are continuing to struggle with the financial weight of the economic landscape.
The French government launched a similar campaign in October to help its population tackle rising energy bills.
Earlier today, Ofgem nnounced that its cap on average energy bills is due to rise to £4,279 a year from April.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has urged Brits to try and cut their overall energy use by 15 per cent to stop the UK being ‘blackmailed’ by Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
The eight changes being pushed for by the Government include:
- Lowering boiler temperatures - which could save £80
- Turning off heating when going out - saving £105
- Turning off electrics instead of leaving them on standby - saving £55
- Having showers instead of baths - which could save £15.
Liz Truss had previously blocked plans for the campaign as she was ‘ideologically opposed to it’ but Rishi Sunak has overturned it. The campaign should come into effect before Christmas but the exact date is unclear.
The price the Government will pay to shield households from enormous energy bills will more than double in the new year to around £5 billion a month after Ofgem raised its price cap.
The decision will not increase the amount consumers have to pay to use gas and electricity.
But it will force the Treasury to pay 33p per unit of electricity and nearly 7p per unit of gas that homes across Great Britain use.
This will push up the cost of running the Government's energy price guarantee from £7.8 billion in the last three months of 2022 to £15.1 billion in the first three months of next year, according to estimates by energy consultancy Auxilione.
It is set to add to the massive strain faced by the public purse in coming months due to soaring gas prices.
Last week the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated it could cost £6.5 billion to deal with the fallout from failed supplier Bulb Energy, which collapsed a year ago.
Without the Government's support, bills for the average household would be 67p per unit of electricity instead of 34p, and 17p per unit of gas instead of 10.3p.
The average household bill would have reached around £4,279 per year, instead of the £2,500 that they will now pay due to the Government support.
The Government support will become less generous from April when average households will start paying £3,000.
That figure is for households that use an average amount of energy. Households that use more will pay more, and those using less will pay less.
"There is no immediate action for consumers to take as a result of today's announcement," Ofgem said.
