Our first ever TV ad, starring Gareth Thomas, is here!

We’re excited to announce that People’s Energy is officially on TV! Starring rugby legend Gareth Thomas, we’re taking our message – to make energy affordable for all, and to end fuel poverty for good – out to a whole new audience of people we hope will join our movement.

Getting the message of People's Energy out to the people

This is People’s Energy’s first ever TV advert. Tackling fuel poverty is a mammoth task, so we wanted to get the word out to as many people as possible. So we’re going big – with (fingers crossed) an estimated audience of 19 million viewers across the UK over the course of the TV campaign.

There are an estimated 4 million UK homes currently living in fuel poverty. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on our home and working lives will almost certainly mean that number will rise, as thousands grapple with job losses and increased home energy costs. And with winter just around the corner – the time of year when we tend to spend more on energy as it is - we couldn’t think of a more important time to reach more people with our message. Energy is a basic need, and nobody, especially not the most vulnerable, should pay over the odds to keep the lights on their houses on. We’ve already distributed over £50,000 to those facing fuel poverty as a result of the pandemic through our Covid Community Fund. With our ad, we'll hopefully be able to sign up many more to join our movement to fight fuel poverty - as well as potentially securing a cheaper tariff for themselves, too.

Making our ad with rugby legend Gareth Thomas

We’re thrilled to have international rugby champion, mental health and LGBTQ+ activist, and all-round legend Gareth Thomas fronting our first foray into TV. Filmed at Portsmore Reservoir just outside Peebles, in the south of Scotland, our ad shows Gareth sitting amongst a glowing field of lamps that represent the 250,000 members who have already joined the People’s Energy community - and all the people we hope to welcome soon!

Gareth says: “When I was first approached by People’s Energy, I admit I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the fuel poverty problem in the UK. Now that I know more, I can honestly say I’m horrified by the scale of the issue. More than 12% of all UK homes are in fuel poverty. That’s a shocking statistic and one we must all work together to reduce. Whether that’s by raising awareness or donating to a fuel poverty charity, we can make it happen.”

We’re really excited about our ad, and getting our message out to a wider world. We hope you love it too – let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook. Or of course you can join our movement, and help to make energy accessible and affordable to everyone by signing up now.