Energy saving obstructed?

TheBanker

I think a campaign would be useful.

Some people won't take any notice, but there are a lot of people who would like to reduce usage but the steps they are taking are actually increasing usage, or making no difference. Look at how many people on this forum ask about the most efficient way to run their washing machine, and have their minds blown when it's explained that a longer cycle can use less energy than a shorter one. In fact for many people the biggest saving would come not from fiddling with the settings on the machine, but from not washing clothes that aren't actually dirty, and not running the machine when it's only half full.

Likewise with central heating - there's an ongoing perception amongst some people that it's cheaper to leave it on all day rather than turn it on and off as needed.

Then there are people who think they'll save hundreds of pounds a year by unplugging the TV when it's not in use etc.

So if a campaign was targeted at people who want to do the right thing, but don't have enough knowledge to do so, it would be useful. 

Section62

TheBanker said:

I think a campaign would be useful.

....

So if a campaign was targeted at people who want to do the right thing, but don't have enough knowledge to do so, it would be useful. 

That's the nub of the issue.  As with anti-smoking campaigns, the issue is with targeting the information at the right people - e.g. not scaring older and vulnerable people to death, but pointing people in the right direction to further information.

Mass media advertising isn't the right approach for this.  Mass media adverts don't target specific groups of people, they scattergun.

And for those bemoaning a lack of government advertising about energy usage, I take it they haven't seen any of the endless 'get a smart meter to save energy' adverts?  In which that would be the best possible indication of the value of mass media adverts to convey nuanced information to a specific group of people. If you haven't noticed them then the message was wasted.

The_Green_Hornet

If the government are going to use public money on an information campaign I would sooner they spent it on explaining what to do during a planned power cut, if indeed we do have them, as it will be a new experience for most people, and a different experience for those who lived during the early seventies.

[Deleted User]

TheBanker said:

Likewise with central heating - there's an ongoing perception amongst some people that it's cheaper to leave it on all day rather than turn it on and off as needed.

Horses for courses. We leave our heating on 24/7 and our gas usage was 6800kWh over the past year. It comes down to the type of boiler (eg; how low it modulates); the boiler flow temperature; the set thermostat temperatures; the house’s thermal properties and heating controls.

Just because well known personalities might suggest otherwise does not make it true.

Ultrasonic

MattMattMattUK said:

jimjames said:

Xbigman said:

This sort of campaign was always likely to get a poor reception on this forum but in reality there are a lot of people who have never even thought about saving energy for whom this kind of information might have been useful. The number of people I've spoken to who can't even understand an electric bill is frightening.

You only need to see some of the questions posted here to realise the benefit such a campaign could give.

Or to realise it would be totally ineffective. Media has been saturated with information about energy costs, bills and how to save now for six months and it has not been out of the top five new headlines for more than a year. 

Not from the government it hasn't as far as I can recall. What we've had from the government is talk about bills being too high but I recall nothing about actually encouraging people to use less energy both to save money and to help with the underlying problem of limited supply. I want the government to by trying to persuade those that can to think about using less energy for public good as well as solely selfish concern over costs, since the latter won't affect the most well off. Helping to educate how to do so would be part of this.

TheGardener

@MattMattMattUK Smoking is out of fashion because of gov intervention - not least the removal of smoking advertising  - particularly around sports. (who remembers Benson & Hedges cricket - Marlboro motor racing, Embassy snooker...) Conversely - the gambling industry has benefited significantly from steping into sports advertising...
We need a culture change - whether that's to save money, save the planet or save us from supply shortages, everyone has their own trigger.

A national campaign is just one of the tools to do that, the conversation starter as it were. When 'Escape to the Country shows the boiler room and talks about the loft insulation - when there is a storyline on Coronation Street about getting cavity wall insulation or the cafe struggling with energy bills - when Currys start putting the energy usage of appliances at the top of the page rather than burying it on the 'specs' tab  - when the Sun newspaper runs a campaign with tokens for money off a new boiler - and when customers vote with their wallets about buying more efficient appliances (the air fryer v the oven being a case in point)  - when the SM influencers talk about draft excluders and thermal blinds - then we will make progress.

It's not about the Gov 'telling people what to do' or whether they lied about covid (govs have always been economical with the truth...) The Gov has committed to the price cap for 2 years - that's long enough to start the ball rolling and make some progress.

dunstonh

I think a campaign would be useful.

But should the taxpayer fund the campaign?
There are plenty of consumer groups that can do it. This forum has been instrumental in helping people understand how it works and how to reduce their own use.

Often, it is simple as turn unused devices off at the plug.
use the eco setting on the dishwasher setc.

Those that want to save money have plenty of resources available to do so if they wish.  Those that cannot be bothered will pay for that in their electric bills.

TheGardener

dunstonh said:

I think a campaign would be useful.

But should the taxpayer fund the campaign?
There are plenty of consumer groups that can do it. This forum has been instrumental in helping people understand how it works and how to reduce their own use.

Often, it is simple as turn unused devices off at the plug.
use the eco setting on the dishwasher setc.

Those that want to save money have plenty of resources available to do so if they wish.  Those that cannot be bothered will pay for that in their electric bills.

Well, they are funding the cap and I'm sure none of us want to see that debt carried forward indefinitely. If people could see a national info campaign in a less linear way and see it as a starting point for a conversation that seeps into other areas of communication then yes, I think it's a good use of taxpayers money.

double_dutchy

Surely it's self-funding?

The proposed campaign would have cost £15m and they hoped that some households would save up to £300 as a result.....but each household would only have to save enough, on average, to cut their cap subsidy by approximately 50p to save the government £15m on subsidy

TheGardener

According to the Daily Express - we might even end up paying more than we needed to have done and the price cap wont cost the gov a penny...