UK Energy Supplier: Cuddle Your Pet To Lower Your Bill

Europe might be in the midst of an energy crisis, but one UK energy supplier has a potential solution: cuddle your pet for warmth.

Ovo Energy, one of the largest energy suppliers in the UK, apologized on Tuesday for a now-deleted blog post in which it advises customers of one of its companies to "have a cuddle with your pets" to stay warm.

Ovo sent a link to a blog on its SSE brand webpage, advising SSE customers to do star jumps, cuddle pets, and leave the oven open after they have finished cooking "to find extra heat."

The skyrocketing energy prices in Europe and the UK have made fuel and energy bills much more expensive for UK households, too.

As a result of the energy crunch, households in the UK will face much higher electricity prices beginning in April, as the government prepares to raise the so-called cap on utility bills.

Ovo Energy received backlash for its "10 ways to stay warm without turning the heating up" post and apologized for what it admitted was "poorly judged and unhelpful" content on the post, which has since been deleted.

"We are embarrassed and sincerely apologise," the energy company said.

"We understand how difficult the situation will be for many of our customers this year," the supplier added, per statement carried by the BBC.

Darren Jones, Labour MP and chair of the business select committee, told the Financial Times, which first reported the story about "cuddle your pet" and other tips:

"Being told to put on a jumper instead of turning on your heating if you can't afford it, at a time of such difficulty for so many families, is plainly offensive."

After Ovo Energy's apology, Jones tweeted:

"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." 

The UK government believes it has until April to find a solution to ease the burden of surging natural gas and energy prices on utilities and households, although no immediate fixes have been adopted.

While UK households face steep rises in energy bills, energy providers are going out of business by the dozens.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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