UK urges households to take 30 seconds out of the day to reduce energy use

The UK government will urge households to take 30 seconds out of their day to reduce their energy bills in a television advertisement scheduled to air at 8.30am on Tuesday.

The government’s £18m advertising campaign suggests citizens ought to spend 30 seconds to take small actions like turning down their boiler flow, switching off lights, closing curtains at night or reducing washing machine temperatures amid the energy crisis.

“This is a 30-second ad – that’s not long but it’s long enough to do something that could save you money on your energy bills,” according to the ad, a part of a campaign that was originally scrapped by Liz Truss.

“Each one you do will be 30 seconds well spent, they all add up and could save you money.”

The ad will air on terrestrial and satellite channels, including ITV, Channel 4 and Sky.

The government’s advertisement campaign was earlier signed off by former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, but it was blocked by Ms Truss for fear of it being perceived as the idea of a “nanny state”.

Michael Gove, however, had said the campaign would not be “nannying or patronising” and instead would point people towards “authoritative sources of advice” on managing energy usage.

Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement on 17 November revealed the government would continue to cap average energy bills at £3,000 from April 2023, which represents some help for households in the UK but still means tacking another £500 onto average bills from next year.

Critics said the ad campaign was launched a little too late to make any real difference.

But business and energy minister Lord Callanan was quoted as saying by The Guardian that the government campaign is “already getting important information out to millions of households across the country, showing them simple, low and no-cost tips to cut their energy use and bills this winter”.

“Simple steps can make a big difference to cutting bills, while keeping homes warm and safe, and by launching this new TV advert, even more people will be aware and the savings will keep adding up for UK households.”

Millions of people across Britain are looking at how to save their energy bills, particularly because December has brought brutal sub-zero temperatures and blasted the country with ice and snow.