Smart Energy GB to appeal ASA ruling on radio ad

Smart Energy GB intends to appeal a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which bans a radio advert for making “misleading energy savings claims” in relation to smart meters.

The ASA has today (6 March) upheld a complaint about a radio ad heard on 7 July last year and has ruled that the ad “must not appear again in its current form”.

It has warned the national campaign for the smart meter rollout that if making energy savings claims it should make “sufficiently clear” the savings depend on users monitoring their energy and making changes.

The radio ad and a press ad from 27 June 2018 both claimed that with a smart meter consumers could save an average of 354 kWh per year.

The former also suggested that those savings could “power Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle for a year” while the latter claimed it would “power every home in Aberdeen, Cardiff and Manchester” for a year.

A total of 14 complainants challenged whether the claims were misleading and could be substantiated.

The radio ad concluded by saying: “Contact your energy supplier about getting your free smart meter. Based on BEIS expected average annual savings 2 per cent. Participating suppliers and eligible customers only. Savings possible by measuring energy usage and reducing wastage”.

However, the ASA said the “main body” of the advert did not make it clear that the saving was a result of change in everyday energy usage.

It considered the advert would be interpreted as an indication the smart meter itself would be able to reduce a household’s energy consumption.

Although the advertising watchdog acknowledged the ad ended with a qualification on how the energy savings could be achieved it said this was not “sufficient clarification” to override listeners’ overall interpretation of the ad.

In contrast the claim in the print ad was “immediately followed” by clarification which stated: “Because when you can actually see how much energy you’re using, you can make a few small changes and use less of it”.

The complaint about the print ad was not upheld.

Smart Energy GB provided two reports from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that were the basis for calculating the quoted energy saving in its response to the ASA.

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Smart Energy GB recently revealed that all other complaints being investigated by the ASA had been resolved.

For the challenge raised on the print and radio ad Deshmukh said the organisation is confident that the claims made in the adverts are “not only accurate, but..conservative,”

Industry body Radiocentre endorsed the advertiser’s response in relation to the radio advert.

A spokesperson from Smart Energy GB said: “The Advertising Standards Authority agrees with us that if we all get a smart meter we could save enough energy to power Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle.

“If Britain is serious about tackling climate change and our children inheriting a planet worth living on one of the ways we can all help is to get a smart meter, save money and the planet all at the same time.

“However, we disagree with the ASA’s ruling on a technical point around the use of terms and conditions and disclaimers in the advert and are appealing their decision.”