While other major grocery stores were shrink-wrapping their coconuts, Sainsbury’s was busy becoming the world’s biggest retailer of Fairtrade products, winning Ethical Standards awards, setting the benchmark for ‘green’ convenience stores and smashing its energy saving targets.
Sainsbury’s has long been known for its ‘corporate conscience’. Back in 2009, when they opened their first environmentally friendly convenience store in Bath, we knew a change was in the air.
It therefore came as no surprise to hear that this month the supermarket giant has teamed up with another solid household name to take their commitment to ethical and sustainable living to the next level. The new venture, Sainsbury’s Energy in partnership with British Gas, promises to make sustainable living an affordable, real option for families just like ours.
Earn £100 to spend on family days out – just by switching to Sainsbury’s Energy
These two trusted household names aren’t normally synonymous with fun and merriment, but they’ve got an extra special treat in store for families…
As a reward for switching your gas and electricity over to Sainsburys Energy, they’ll give you 10,000 bonus Nectar points. That’s the equivalent of £100 to put towards a Merlin Annual Pass, or to pay for fun family days out at Alton Towers, Madame Tussauds, Legoland Windsor, Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle or Thorpe Park.
Eggs, Milk, Solar Panel, Fish Fingers…
We’re loving this image of solar power being accessible, affordable, and part of our everyday lives… but to be honest, popping a solar panel in the shopping trolley isn’t an option for many families at the moment. Even with 10,000 extra nectar points and savings of £800 a year, most of us simply don’t have the extra £10k to invest up front.
But it isn’t all about solar power and big up front investments – most of what Sainsbury’s Energy can help with is the teeny tiny little things that, put together, will help you conserve lots of energy and save money. We’d recommend stopping by one of their new Energy Centres and having a little look around or a chat with one of the Energy Experts. You can also visit their site for energy saving tips on things you do every day, like cooking and laundry.
[button link=http://www.sainsburysenergy.com/help-and-advice/energy-saving-tips.html]Try these energy saving tips[/button]
Here are three of the easiest ways to save money and energy for your family home:
1. Book a Home Energy Assessment
One of their Energy Experts will come to your home and provide you with a fully tailored report with advice on how you can save £200 a year on your energy bills. They’re coming to our house soon, and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say!
Cost: £45
Saving: £200 a year
Nectar Points Earned: 100 points
2. Insulate Your Loft
Insulating your loft and stopping heat from escaping through your roof could dramatically cut your heating bills. Sainsbury’s Energy makes it easy – their Energy Experts will insulate your home in less than a day and they’ll even clean up after themselves.
Cost: £189
Saving: £145 a year
Nectar Points Earned: 400 points
3. Use your competitive streak to save energy with an Energy Monitor
Using this brilliantly simple little device that allows you to monitor your energy consumption in real time. It’s a great energy saver for any competitive family – you’ll feel compelled to unplug things just to see how much you can save. You can make a game out of it too – get yourselves a reward chart and give a sticker to everyone who remembers to put the energy saving tips to work.
What would you do with your 10,000 bonus nectar points?
Leave a comment below or on our … fingers crossed we’ll be able to offer a free Home Energy Assessment for some of you (watch this space).
This is not a sponsored post, but you should know that the lovely folks over at Sainsbury’s, British Gas and TVC Group treated me to lunch at Walnut, a sustainable restaurant in West Hampstead, while I learned more about their partnership. They’ve also waived the cost of my Home Energy Assessment so that I can try it out on my family home and tell you all about it.
Read my personal blog post (I’m knitting my own tofu over here) for a hopefully humourous look at the event.