Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, has this week joined a new energy awareness campaign—‘Energy High 5’—that has the power to save households in his constituency as much as £7.5m on their annual energy spend, and reduce carbon emissions by 46,673 tonnes of CO2.
The Energy High 5 movement is a simple and positive focus on five ways households can save £163 a year on their annual energy bill. To support households, many of whom have seen their income plummet because of the COVID-19 crisis, Utilita Energy—the company behind the movement—has invited the UK’s 650 MPs to pass on the savings advice to their constituents.
The Energy High 5 ways to save are:
1. Turning the heating down by one degree (save £80 per year)
2. Turning lights off in unoccupied rooms (save £14 per year)
3. Using a 30°C wash instead of 40°C / 60°C (save £9 per year)
4. Avoid using standby mode (save £30 per year)
5. Unplug unused electrical items (save £30 per year)
Robert Largan shares his reasons for joining the Energy High 5 movement and embracing the savings in his own home:
“The pandemic has impacted every part of our lives—and for those whose income has been affected, new ways to save will be very welcome right now.
“What is powerful about the situation we are in is that we have more time—time to stop and think about our actions and behaviours at home. I imagine anyone following the five ways to save will see some significant savings.
“It’s great because anyone can join up and there’s no need to change energy provider.”
Based on 46,032 households in the High Peak, here is how the Energy High 5 movement can help every household:
• Save £163 per household, or £7,503,135 across all households in High Peak each year
• Save 0.46 tonnes of CO2 per household or 42,349 tonnes of CO2 across all High Peak households
• The above carbon emission saving for the High Peak is equivalent to taking 37,477 cars off the road for a year or planting 92,063 trees
Utilita Energy is the UK’s only energy company that was created to help people use less energy. Bill Bullen, Utilita’s CEO, is a conservationist who believes the more control households have over their energy, by making it more visual, the less they will spend. He comments:
“The best MPs are those who are proactive in putting constituency matters first, so it’s great to see so many embracing the Energy High 5 movement and passing on the saving potential to their constituents.
“Our priority as an energy provider is to get a smart meter, linked to an In-Home Display, installed into our customers’ homes, which immediately makes energy visual. Having this visibility and control tends to result in a 20 per cent reduction in energy usage.”
Peter Smith, Director of Policy & Research at National Energy Action, the UK’s leading charity against fuel poverty, comments on the importance of the Energy High 5 campaign:
“Even before the recent Covid-19 crisis, there were too many households in the UK which struggled to pay for energy.
“Alongside the psychological stress and social isolation caused directly by the virus, too many will have to choose between heating their home adequately and falling into debt or rationing their energy use and living in cold, damp homes that are dangerous to their health and can shorten their lives.
“Any advice on ways to save energy is therefore very welcome, but what is powerful about this campaign is that it is for everyone, not just Utilita customers.”
