Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Claims about the output of a renewable electricity-producing site should be demonstrably true.
If the ad makes claims about the future output of a specific site, such as a wind farm, the predicted output should be calculated using site-specific data. If a claim is based on an estimated output but not on historical data (for example for a proposed site) that fact should be made clear to consumers. That can be done by stating “estimated output” or by making the output claim conditional, for example “could produce up to …” (Gamesea Energy UK Ltd, 11 July 2007 and Npower Renewables 21 February 2007).
Marketers may describe the output of a given site by stating the number of homes that could be supplied by that site but should not imply that the electricity is delivered direct to those homes. When calculating the number, the Copy Advice team recommends using an up-to-date average electricity consumption figure, such as that recommended by Energywatch, 3,300 kWh a year (Renewable Energy Systems, 21 December 2005). Other comparisons, such as comparing the amount of emissions with those produced by a car are likely to be acceptable if the comparison makes clear the specific model of car used. (RWE Npower t/a Npower Renewables, 21 February 2007).
Marketers of energy from renewable sources often want to make claims about the beneficial effect on the environment, usually expressed as a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions compared with electricity from conventional sources. If they make claims such as "The scheme will also help prevent the release of some 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide”, marketers should be able to show that that estimate has been based on up-to-date, generally accepted evidence that is representative of the current UK electricity-generating mix (RWE npower plc t/a Npower Renewables, 10 October 2007).
See other entries on ‘Environmental Claims’ and ‘Electricity from Renewable Sources’.
Last modified : 30 November 2011