Henrik & Ingrid Facebook ad: “I couldn't provide for my baby girl until I found this”

About this ad

Meta Ad Library ID

776519582076836

Platforms

Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, Messenger and Threads

Relaunches

0

How we count

Ad text

I had to use torn-up towels as nappies for my baby because we couldn't afford our electric bill. I'm 38, we live in Leeds, and last February I did something that still makes me cry when I think about it. Our daughter Lily is 18 months old. She goes through about eight nappies a day. We had six left in the pack. My husband James came home from work and said we needed the last £40 in our account for the electric top-up or we'd be cut off. "The nappies will have to wait until Friday when I get paid," he said. I just stood there in our kitchen, holding Lily, doing the maths in my head. Six nappies. Three days. An 18-month-old baby. "James, what am I supposed to do?" I asked. He looked destroyed. "I don't know. I'm sorry." We'd already stopped buying anything that wasn't absolutely essential. I was making every meal from scratch, bulk-buying pasta and tinned tomatoes. I hadn't bought myself new clothes since before Lily was born. But the electric bills kept climbing. £198 in December. £247 in January. £286 in February. For a two-bedroom flat with a baby. I'd stopped using the tumble dryer completely. I was doing laundry by hand in the bath because the washing machine cost too much to run. I hung wet clothes on radiators that we kept on the lowest possible setting. Lily's bedroom was freezing most nights. I dressed her in three layers and put two blankets over her cot. And it still wasn't enough. By March, we'd spent £1,840 on electricity in four months. On James's £28,000 salary, that was destroying us. My mum offered to help. James said no. He's 33 years old and feels like he should be able to provide for his own family. But that Friday, I sat on our bathroom floor cutting up old towels with kitchen scissors. I folded them into makeshift nappies and fastened them with safety pins. Lily kept pulling at them, confused. They leaked. She got a rash. I cried the entire time. I'm her mother. I'm supposed to be able to give her clean nappies. That's not even a luxury. That's basic care. I felt like I'd failed her. Then James came home from the pub and told me something his mate Connor had mentioned. Connor's uncle used to work for National Grid. Senior engineer. Got fired for trying to expose how power companies deliberately flood homes with unstable electricity to make us use more. "They call it dirty electricity," James explained. "Makes everything work harder. The fridge, the heating, everything. We're paying for power we're not even using." Connor had shown him his electric bill. £34 for a three-bedroom house with two kids. I didn't believe it. It sounded like one of those scam gadgets you see on Facebook. But James said Connor's uncle had invented this device, OptiWatt, that filters it out at the source. Connor's family had been using it since January and had saved over £800. I was desperate. "How much is it?" "£35," James said. Less than one week's electricity. Less than a pack of nappies and a bag of shopping. "Order it," I said. "We've got nothing to lose." It arrived two days later. Small white plug. James put it in the hallway socket. I didn't think it would work. I'd been disappointed too many times. Three weeks later, our bill came through. £31. I actually thought there'd been a mistake. I checked the meter myself. I logged into our account online. It was real. Our usage had dropped 89% in one month. I just sat on the sofa and cried. "We can buy proper nappies now?" I asked James. "We can buy proper nappies," he said. That was six months ago. We've saved £1,460 since March. But more importantly, Lily has clean nappies every day. Her room is warm at night. I can do laundry in the washing machine like a normal person. I bought new shoes last month. First time in over a year. James got new work shoes too, the ones he'd been wearing had a hole in the sole. I'm buying fresh vegetables again instead of just pasta and tinned food. We took Lily to the zoo for her second birthday last week. First proper family day out in eight months. She loved the penguins. I cried watching her laugh and point at the animals. Not from stress this time. From relief. Here's what makes me absolutely furious though. James told me the energy companies are trying to get this device banned. They're lobbying Parliament, calling it "unsafe" even though independent electricians have tested it. They know exactly what they're doing. They know mothers like me are sitting on bathroom floors cutting up towels because we can't afford nappies and electricity in the same week. They want us to keep making impossible choices between our children's basic needs and keeping the lights on. I'm telling you this because if you're stretched so thin you can't afford basics for your kids, if you're lying awake at night doing mental maths on every single purchase, you need to know about this. Right now they're doing 50% off before any potential ban goes through. I just checked and there are only 224 units left. Don't let pride stop you. Don't wait until you're using towels as nappies like I did. I felt like I'd failed as a mother. Now I can actually take proper care of my daughter. That's not about saving money. That's about being able to look your child in the eye and know you're giving them what they need.

Where the ad sends people

www.energy-uk.com

I couldn't provide for my baby girl until I found this

With electricity prices skyrocketing 100-150% in the last 12 months, millions of Brits are struggling just to keep up with their monthly bills.