Ovo Energy, the UK's third-biggest energy company, said customers could save on heating bills by cuddling their pets and putting on extra layers of clothing. Getty Images
Ovo Energy, the UK's third-biggest energy company, said customers could save on heating bills by cuddling their pets and putting on extra layers of clothing. Getty Images
Ovo Energy, the UK's third-biggest energy company, said customers could save on heating bills by cuddling their pets and putting on extra layers of clothing. Getty Images
Ovo Energy, the UK's third-biggest energy company, said customers could save on heating bills by cuddling their pets and putting on extra layers of clothing. Getty Images

Anger as Ovo Energy group tells customers to ‘cuddle a pet’ to stay warm


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

One of Britain’s largest energy companies has apologised for telling customers to cuddle a pet and eat porridge to stay warm and save on heating bills.

Ovo Energy sent out advice including 10 “simple and cost effective ways to keep warm this winter” to customers of SSE Energy Services, the business it acquired in 2020.

The company sent customers a link to a blog advising them to warm up by putting on a few extra layers of clothing, doing a few star jumps and cutting out alcohol.

People were also told they could have “a cuddle with your pets and loved ones to help stay cosy” and eat ginger to warm up – but the company said chilli should be avoided “as it makes you sweat”.

In a section titled "find extra heat" people were told, "You don't always need to rely on your central heating to stay warm. Here are some lesser-known ways to find extra warmth from other sources."

"Open your curtains when it's sunny, to warm your home naturally," was one tip.

Millions of households across Britain are facing rising energy bills. PA
Millions of households across Britain are facing rising energy bills. PA

Customers were also told to "keep your oven open after you've finished cooking" but take care to keep pets and young children away from it.

Ovo's tips to find extra heat
  • Open your curtains when it’s sunny 
  • Keep your oven open after cooking  
  • Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy 
  • Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat 
  • Put on extra layers  
  • Do a few star jumps  
  • Avoid alcohol   

The advice, distributed as millions of people in the UK brace themselves for energy bills to rise by hundreds of pounds, were described as inappropriate and “plainly offensive” by Members of Parliament.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week said there was only so much help the Conservative government could offer to households facing increasing bills.

After the story was first published by the Financial Times, Darren Jones, a Labour MP and chairman of the business select committee, called on Ovo to say sorry to their customers for the “insensitive” comments.

Many members of the public took to social media to voice their disapproval of Ovo’s guidance, with some calling the comments "cruel".

One Twitter account called Growing Solutions suggested that instead of telling people how to warm up, Ovo should have offered a more meaningful solution to rising energy bills such as reducing its profit margin for the interim period “to alleviate the pressures” on its customers.

Ovo said it was “embarrassed” to have issued “poorly judged and unhelpful” guidance.

“We understand how difficult the situation will be for many of our customers this year,” the group said. “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.”

Mr Jones then wrote on Twitter: “Good, I'm glad they apologised. 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.”

Energy bills in Britain are expected to rise by more than half to £2,000 a year per household when the price cap is adjusted in April.

Amid rising gas prices, Shell's profits were "significantly" boosted by the energy crisis, it said.

PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

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1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)

2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)

3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)

4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)

5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)

6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)

7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)

8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)

9.  Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)

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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

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Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Company%20Profile
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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.

 

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The Corniche
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Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

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Always use only regulated platforms

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Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

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MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

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Nick Coleman
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

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Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

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- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

The Specs:

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Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 444bhp

Torque: 600Nm

Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT

On sale: now.

MATCH INFO

League Cup, last 16

Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)

Ovo's tips to find extra heat
  • Open your curtains when it’s sunny 
  • Keep your oven open after cooking  
  • Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy 
  • Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat 
  • Put on extra layers  
  • Do a few star jumps  
  • Avoid alcohol   
Updated: January 11, 2022, 9:11 AM