SSE Energy Services emailed a list of 10 ‘simple and cost-effective’ recommendations to ‘keep warm’ in the winter without central heating
One of the UK’s largest energy suppliers has been forced to apologize after sending “insulting” energy-saving tips to customers that suggested they could save on heating bills by ‘cuddling’ their pets and “doing a few star jumps.”
In a blog post emailed to customers on Monday, SSE Energy Services recommended 10 “simple and cost-effective ways to keep warm this winter.” The advice included “sticking to non-alcoholic drinks,” doing chores around the house, and “encouraging blood flow” by eating ginger.
Recipients were also encouraged to “get moving” by doing star jumps and “challenging the kids to a hula-hoop contest.” They were told to consume “hearty bowls of porridge” and drink more water, while being warned that the “warming feeling from wine or whisky is temporary as you’ll soon lose heat from your core and end up feeling even colder,” according to the Financial Times.
The company, a division of Ovo Energy, removed the post and issued an apology after MPs branded the guidance as “insulting” and “offensive,” at a time when millions of families face a cost of living crisis amid rising energy bills. One government official told the paper the advice read “like some Dickensian nightmare.”
no this is not a spoof pic.twitter.com/B5sRt1UTbx
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) January 10, 2022