New analysis suggests that a German-style national drive to reduce UK energy use by turning off lights and lowering heating temperatures could save households £400 and save the Treasury £9 billion. The Social Market Foundation, a cross-party think-tank, is calling on the UK Government to follow Germany’s lead and launch an information campaign that provides practical tips on reducing household energy demand.
In Germany, a national energy-saving campaign has seen lights turned off in some public buildings, heating turned down and households encouraged to minimise energy use. Since the campaign was launched in September, Germany’s gas consumption has been between 20% and 37% lower than at similar times in earlier years.
In a newly released paper, the Social Market Foundation suggested that replicating such reductions in energy use across the UK could deliver household savings of between £250-£400 a year. Reducing energy use would also deliver significant savings for the public finances, since the £2,500 Energy Price Guarantee policy currently means that taxpayers subsidise every unit of energy used in the UK.
