UK campaign on energy ‘could save the Treasury £9bn’

A government poster in Berlin reads: ‘Dear Couch Potatoes, just do it: heat smartly and dial down a notch.’ Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty

A public information campaign to encourage consumers to cut their gas usage this winter could save households nearly £400 and the Treasury £9bn, a study has shown.

An analysis by the cross-party thinktank the Social Market Foundation found that households could save between £250 and £400 a year if a UK campaign similar to Germany’s national energy-awareness drive were launched.