Iceland & Utilita’s Cost-Cutting Initiative

Published 26 August 2022

Author
Eoghan Flynn
2 min read

With cash-strapped consumers facing soaring inflation rates, frozen food retailer Iceland has teamed up with energy supplier Utilita (both British) to launch the Shop Smart, Cook Savvy campaign – helping families save money in the kitchen.

Starting in September, the initiative seeks to stretch household budgets by identifying the most cost-effective cooking rituals. Economical at-home chefs can attend free workshops across the UK, which will uncover 15 ways to slash energy bills, as well as five methods to save up to £604 ($711) per year when cooking. Also, Iceland will include instructions on its product packaging, detailing how to cook them in the most energy-efficient way.

Iceland and Utilita argue that households could drop their cooking annual energy usage by 60-90% by adjusting their cooking habits. According to their research, an electric cooker is the most expensive cooking method, costing 87p per day to operate – amounting to £316 ($372) per year.

With 42% of households depending on their oven for at-home dining, the Shop Smart, Cook Savvy campaign spotlights cost-saving alternatives. The findings suggest a microwave may be the most economical appliance, costing 8p a day, and £30 ($35) annually. Similarly thrifty options include slow cookers (16p per day) and air fryers (14p per day) – both brands are selling discounted Tower Housewares air fryers.

Other proposed cost-saving hacks include batch-cooking – which supposedly saves £158 ($186) annually – and avoiding overfilling the kettle, cutting costs by £19 ($22) a year.

These clever incentives offer cash-strapped consumers a plethora of practical, frugal and energy-efficient ways to use their kitchens – a pertinent approach as utility prices continue to soar.

 

Get in touch so a member of the Stylus team can explain how your business can harness the power of trends and insights like these – and more.