PwC, WPP hail Egypt’s successful campaign to reduce electricity use

The world’s leading communications services group WPP and Global financial auditing and consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP commended Monday Egypt’s successful national campaign to reduce electricity consumption.

During a session at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Roy Haddad, Managing Director at WPP Middle East, and Fadi Adra, partner at Strategy&, part of the PwC network, said Egypt adopted successful communication campaigns to make consumers aware of energy use.

In 2014, the demands on Egypt’s electricity supply were exceeding generating capacity, leading to daily power cuts. Household consumption was a large part of the problem, accounting for 42 percent of the total, compared to industry and public facilities that were 32 and 26 percent, respectively, according to the WPP’s ‘Triggering Change in the GCC through Behavioral Insights’ report.

Egypt’s National Initiative for Energy Conservation campaign exploited traditional and digital media channels to send messages about consumption rates and nudges in the form of energy efficiency tips, Adra said.

“For example, the campaign (in Egypt) told consumers to set air conditioning units to the right temperature, use the right fuel for cars, and turn off electrical kitchen appliances when not in use.” the report read.

The campaign discussed the issue on talks shows. TV stations displayed a power meter on their screens showing real-time peaks in national electricity consumption, Roy Haddad explained.

According to the report, the Egyptian campaign achieved a 3.7 percent reduction in electricity demand in two months.