… it probably is!
You know how it is – we all want to save those hard-earned pennies on our energy bills, especially at the moment.
So when a company promises magical savings with their new product, people were naturally going to take notice.
“Lower your bills. Reduce your energy use. Protect yourself from price increases” they said, claiming you could save up to a whopping 20% on your electricity bills with their Home Voltage Optimiser.
That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
Well, you’re right!
Fortress Energy found itself in hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making such bold claims without solid evidence to back them up.
There was an attempt to dazzle with some technical jargon about voltage fluctuations and how their nifty transformer gadget could prevent overloading electrical items, thereby saving you energy, carbon, and money!
But the ASA isn’t interested in magic tricks – they want hard facts, cold numbers, and real evidence!
Fortress provided industry guides, but these talked about voltage optimisation in general, not their specific product. They also cited a case study, but this was the result of just one test on one household.
And although this showed energy savings, there were no details on how the test was carried out, which meant there may have been many other factors, such as other energy-saving devices in the house or changes to the occupants’ energy habits that could have led to the savings.
Perhaps they turned off the lights when they left a room, or they unplugged all devices before going to bed!
You can probably see why this failed to convince the ASA.
When it comes to making big claims, you can’t rely on a single case study and a sprinkle of jargon. The ASA want all the info and data to back those claims up.
Otherwise, you will be on the wrong side of the ASA, and trust me, despite having no powers to fine you, that’s not where you want to be!