Great Britain’s third-largest energy supplier has apologised to its customers for having advised them to “have a cuddle with their pets” to stay warm and save on heating bills.

Ovo Energy emailed customers a list of 10 “simple and cost-effective ways to keep warm this winter”, the Financial Times reports. 

As well as cuddling pets for warmth, other tips included “challenging the kids to a hula-hoop competition”, “doing star jumps”, and “cleaning the house”.

This campaign was organised in the context of the current cost-of-living crisis, which is expected to worsen in the following weeks. 

According to some predictions, energy bills could rise by more than 50 per cent in spring for millions of households that are on a standard tariff.

Bristol North West MP and chairman of the Business Select Committee Darren Jones called Ovo Energy’s advice “offensive” and urged the company to apologise.

“I’m not sure who signed off a marketing campaign telling people to wear a jumper and eat porridge instead of turning on the heating if you can’t afford it” – he wrote in a tweet. 

“We understand how difficult the situation will be for many of our customers this year (…) We are working hard to find meaningful solutions as we approach this energy crisis, and we recognise that the content of this blog was poorly judged and unhelpful. We are embarrassed and sincerely apologise” – Ovo Energy told the Financial Times.  

In April, the price cap, which limits the amounts energy suppliers can charge, will rise. The increases are due to a major spike in global gas prices, which have been pushed up by high demand across the world.

Author: Sebastien Meuwissen

Cover photo: British Poles