CO Safe 4 Summer campaign – Carbon Monoxide: Alarms Save Lives

Policy Connect

Raising CO and CO alarm legislation awareness among 5.4 million people nationwide

Our project at a glance

• Participating GDNs: Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities
• Strategic priority area: Carbon monoxide (CO) awareness
• Reach target: 5,425,000 individuals
• Duration: Summer 2022
• SGN investment: £13,536
• Forecast SROI: £34.51

Why we’re working together

In 2022, regulations for carbon monoxide alarms in England, Scotland and Wales would be changing.

From 1 February 2022, all Scottish homes would be required to have a CO alarm in all rooms where there is a fixed combustion appliance or flue. While in England, new legislation would require CO alarms to be fitted in all rental and new build properties from 1 October. In Wales, the Fitness for Human Habitation regulations would also require landlords to fit CO alarms in their properties from 1 December.

Recognising the potential for the changing regulations to confuse landlords, tenants and vulnerable communities, we came together as gas networks to co-create and deliver a nationwide awareness campaign.

We partnered with Policy Connect to deliver a seven-week multi-channel campaign, raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety as well as the legislative changes. Our CO Safe 4 Summer campaign hugely exceeded our target by reaching over 66 million people. We know that not all customers who see or hear one of our campaign assets or adverts will be receptive to the information, so as gas networks we have agreed a 3% engagement rate be applied to the total campaign reach for all our CO awareness campaign activity. We continue to work with marketing and social value experts to review this engagement rate with a view to updating it pending further analysis across media and marketing channels.

For this campaign, we estimate our ‘engaged’ reach to be 1,996,082 people.

Project objectives

• Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and how to access alarms
• Engaging 5,425,000 individuals on the new UK CO alarm laws
• Supporting vulnerable customers to access further help to maintain a safe and warm home

How we worked together

Multi-channel awareness campaign

Our seven-week campaign engaged audiences through the dedicated campaign website, social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as well as broadcast media on radio, podcasts and television.

PSR registrations

Through the campaign, we also raised awareness of the Priority Services Register. For each week of the CO Safe 4 Summer campaign, we had a different focus for our messaging. Week five of the campaign focused on vulnerable groups; pregnant women, families with children and babies, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions, all of whom are eligible for the PSR. We then followed this up in week six with a focus on the PSR and accessing support, with links provided to relevant websites to access more information and register on the PSR.

Project outcomes

• Individuals engaged: 1,996,082
• Campaign reach: 66.5 million +
• Campaign website unique visitors: 4,873
• Radio/TV reach: 27.9 million +
• Paid social reach: 7.4 million +
• Organic social reach: 31 million +