2007 saw a lot of discussion on climate change – but what exactly did we achieve? Cool nrg has proved that through ingenuity and sheer determination we can all be a part of delivering change. The Great British Light Switch saw the UK population make a major commitment to act on climate change and proved that by making action easy and accessible to all we can make a difference.

What a difference 12 hours makes

In just 12 hours 4.5 million energy saving light bulbs found a home and once installed will save the UK over £20 million on its energy bills and take the equivalent of taking up to 20,000 cars off the road every year for the life time of the bulbs

“It’s crazy that we’re spending all this energy discussing, debating and building nuclear when we haven’t even done the basics” commented Rachel Ollivier from Cool nrg. “We proved this Saturday that large scale energy saving is possible. 4.5M energy saving lights were distributed in a single day – potentially saving 387,000 tonnes of CO2 pollution. If we can do this, a small group of entrepreneurs, think what else we can achieve as a nation.”

This project, the brain child of Cool nrg, drove a mass awareness campaign that changed people’s behaviour by giving them an easy to action task that resulted in national benefits. In light of the current debate around targets, this campaign is a clear example of how something we thought was impossible can actually happen. Cool nrg is a new business that operates currently in seven countries around the world. Its remit is to drive mass consumer campaigns on climate change that have national benefits and instill radical change. Started in March 2007, Cool nrg ran the largest energy saving campaign of its kind on January the 19th 2008.

When asked about the campaign, Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary commented: "Switching to low-energy light bulbs is something we can all do today, that will make a big difference tomorrow. They cut your carbon footprint and your electricity bill. That's why I backed the campaign. I'm proud that Britain is leading the way by getting rid of energy-guzzling light bulbs, with the worst types already being taken off the shelves."



Cool nrg’s purpose is to take action on global warming in a way that is swift and immediate. Cool nrg was established to significantly cut worldwide CO2 pollution in the short-term by installing energy-saving light bulbs in 50% of global residential lighting by 2010, resulting in a saving of over 200 Mt CO2 per year.