How hailing an Uber could cut energy bills

Households are trying to find ways to reduce energy bills and the Government hailed Uber to help show people how.

We previously looked at how bespoke digital advertising could be shown to Uber riders, based on the information the company holds on passengers.

The UK Government has now turned to the private hire taxi company’s Journey Ads to share low and no-cost energy saving solutions to Uber customers in order to bring down their household energy bills.

Online energy news publication Current says that despite the range of advice and support available, charity Nesta and the Behavioural Insights Team found that while 98% of householders are using energy-saving measures, most are not seeing any real difference to their energy bills.

That prompted the Government to launch the It All Adds Up campaign, to show people how simple changes can make a difference to their energy bills.

In a bid to reach as many people as possible, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, launched the partnership with Uber to help drive home the cost-saving messages.

Among the concise energy-saving recommendations, we are being encouraged to reduce the temperature on a combi boiler to 60⁰C, which the Government says could save £100 a year.

Householders are also urged to turn off appliances at the plug, which could add a further £70 worth of savings per year.

And simple DIY tips such as putting draught excluders around doors and adding clear film across windows to stop draughts could potentially lead to further savings of £60 per year.

The Government says that these three quick and easy steps could see households shave £230 off their annual energy bills. While these steps alone will not bring down monthly bills immediately, in addition to financial help already available to households, the message is that putting them together will lead to noticeable savings, without having to invest in expensive energy-saving measures such as air-source heat pumps or solar panels.

The Government is hoping that by sharing these quick and easy steps across the Uber app and reaching many of its estimated five million users, more people will be able to see real changes to their household energy bills.

Paul Wright, head of Uber advertising for Uber UK, said: “Uber is in a unique position to be supporting the government’s It All Adds Up energy saving campaign as we can reach many of our five million active users as they take a ride.

“The partnership will enable the government to use Uber Journey Ads to provide consumers with essential information to help them easily reduce their energy spend.”

Mr Shapps added: “We’re already covering around half of a typical household’s energy bill this winter – but we want people to accelerate savings with simple steps and this new partnership with Uber will allow riders to take the high road towards lower bills.”

The focus of this campaign was to get an important message across to millions of people who will hopefully see a reduction in their energy usage and bills.

By using Uber Journey Ads, in which passengers receive targeted adverts to their phones from the start of their Uber booking and throughout their journey, the Government hoped that it could get this important message across.

It is an interesting step and opens the door for new options for public service announcements and other important messages in future.

What do you think of using adverts on ride-hailing apps?