Britain’s third-largest energy supplier apologized and said it was’ embarrassed ‘after advising customers to cut heating bills by’ having a cuddle with their pets’, eating ‘ hearty bowls of porridge “and” doing some stargazing “.

MEPs called the guidelines released by a division of Ovo Energy on Monday “insulting” and “offensive” as millions of UK households face a “cost of living disaster” in the spring, including a rise energy bills of up to £ 2,000 per year as of April 1 for the average household at off-take tariffs.

The email sent to customers of SSE Energy Services, which Ovo acquired in 2020, listed 10 “simple, inexpensive ways to warm up this winter,” such as “stick to non-alcoholic drinks,” doing chores. housewives, have “a hug with your pets and loved ones to help keep you warm” and “encourage blood circulation” by eating ginger but avoiding chili “because it makes you sweat”.

Customers were also advised to ‘get moving’ by ‘inviting the children to participate in a hoop competition’, and to drink more water, in addition to the warning that ‘the warming sensation of wine or whiskey is temporary because you will soon lose the heat from your heart and end up feeling even colder, ”the Financial Times reported.

Conservative MP and former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers said the advice was probably well-intentioned but at the same time “quite insensitive”. “A lot of people are very worried about rising energy bills and won’t appreciate being told to do star hopping,” she said.

Labor MP Darren Jones, who also chairs the Commons House of Commons trade, energy and industrial strategy committee, said the company should apologize to its customers. “Being told to put on a sweater instead of turning on your heating if you can’t afford it, at a time when so many families are facing such hardships, is just plain offensive,” he said. declared.

Clive Lewis, Labor MP for Norwich South, said the recommendations were “like clowns” and “depressing”. “It’s laughable and insulting, but with the absence of an energy strategy from this government, you almost expect it,” he said, adding that the email “will be read by people who will have to choose between eating and heating. […] if this is the state of the country we are in now, I find that quite depressing ”.

Record hikes in wholesale gas and electricity prices have prompted the government to consider ways to mitigate the effect on household bills, after Tory MPs called on Boris Johnson to act and help consumers .

Campaigners fear energy poverty will rise to the highest level since the records began, unless the government steps in, warning 6 million UK homes may not be able to pay their energy bills after a further rise in prices in the spring.

Ovo said, “We understand how difficult it will be for many of our customers this year. We are working hard to find meaningful solutions as this energy crisis approaches, and we recognize that the content on this blog has been misjudged and unnecessary. We are embarrassed and we sincerely apologize.