Two of Britain’s biggest energy suppliers say that users have reduced their energy usage by at least 10% since October.
Both E.ON Next, the second-largest supplier in the UK, and Utility Warehouse have said they have seen a ‘double-digit’ decline recently.
Executives in the energy industry are paying close attention to the correlation between high bills and low usage.
‘Double-digit decline’
Andrew Lindsay is the chief executive of Telecom Plus, who own Utility Warehouse, which serves more than 800,000 customers. Mr Lindsay told the Guardian that gas use had declined by around 10%, and that ‘[their] expectation is that there will be a further decline in consumption as people self-regulate.
‘We’re forecasting a further double-digit decline in [energy] consumption.’
Mr Lindsay added: ‘We expect [people reducing energy usage] to continue over the course of the winter – for people to self-regulate, but they can’t self-regulate to zero.
‘It’s finite and there is a big government campaign to encourage people to be energy efficiency and that will definitely result in people being more prudent, which is the right thing to do. So we factored that into our forecasts.’
Related: National Grid Launches Energy Bill Discount Scheme
‘A big effect’
E.ON chief executive Michael Lewis told the Guardian that the supplier was ‘seeing reductions of 10 to 15%’ as its 5.6 million customers attempt to limit their energy usage.
He continued: ‘It’s quite a big effect. We’re analysing our data and trying to understand what’s happening.
‘It will likely be people putting the heating on for shorter periods or turning down the thermostat in their home. Those are the two big levers.’
Government to the rescue?
This comes as the UK government plans to launch a social media and advertising campaign – costing the government £25 million – encouraging the public to save energy.
According to the Guardian, ministers have identified eight ideas to help households save as much as £420 a year.
These measures could include turning down boilers, turning off radiators, and switching off devices instead of leaving them on standby.
Being able to reduce energy usage by 10% is a step in the right direction, but that may still be a drop in the ocean in a cost-of-living crisis.
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