The leading trade association, which represents the domestic oil heating and cooking industry in Ireland, was compelled to lodge this complaint against Saturn Heating on the energy efficiency of its boiler following concerns that householders are being potentially misled into making home energy decisions using incorrect information.
ASAI ruled that ‘in the interest of clarity for consumers’ Saturn Heating should not use the misleading advertising in the same format again.
The company stated in its advertisement that that Saturn Boiler had a ‘Condensing Efficiency of 101%’ but OFTEC raised the alarm that this was misleading for consumers as all boilers should be rated using a ‘Seasonal Efficiency’ rating. All manufactures within the industry previously agreed to abide by this common practice to enable consumers to make clear informed decisions.
David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland Manager said, “We believe it’s in the best interests of consumers and the industry that all energy companies behave responsibly and are brought to account when they do not.”
This is a small but important victory for householders across Ireland who are often marketed heavily with energy saving claims that are contrary to the independent data available.”
The recent complaint reiterates OFTEC’s commitment to protecting consumers as previous objections lodged by the industry body against Calor Gas in 2013 and 2014 were also upheld. The Complaints Committee of the ASAI found the Calor Gas advertisements to be misleading and ‘exploit the lack of consumer knowledge’.
With approximately 600,000 homes in Ireland using heating oil as their primary heating source, OFTEC Ireland is constantly keen to assist homeowners in making educated decisions on their energy choices. The industry body will shortly be launching a campaign across Ireland to clearly guide oil users on long-term energy options and outline verified energy savings.