npower, official sponsor of the Ashes Test Series, has conducted new
research to find out how businesses and their employees across the UK
are going to follow the Ashes series while at work.

Kind-hearted
bosses are planning to let employees get behind the England cricket
team this summer, according to npower, with one in 16 UK employees
saying that their boss was letting them follow the hotly-contested
npower Ashes series between England and Australia during the working
day, with many installing TVs and radios to make sure they don’t miss a
minute of the action.

npower surveyed over 1300 UK workers to see
if they would be getting behind Kevin Pietersen and the rest of the
England cricket team this summer, with nearly one third (28 per cent)
of workers planning to follow the Ashes while at work. While the
majority (37 per cent) said it was because they are cricket fans and
wouldn’t miss it, over one in 10 (11 per cent) said it would be good
for staff morale during difficult economic times. However, one in 30
bosses admitted it was because they feared employees would take sick
days if they weren’t allowed to watch the cricket at work.

While
applauding patriotic bosses, npower is urging businesses planning to
install extra TVs and radios to consider switching other appliances off
on order to keep energy consumption to a minimum.

Julia Lynch
Williams, director of energy services at npower, said: \"It is great
that UK businesses are planning to get behind the team and follow them
during the Ashes. However, just installing one extra appliance, such as
a TV or radio, and keeping it on for the duration of the working-day
will increase a businesses’ energy consumption. All we are asking is
that if you are getting behind Strauss, Pietersen, Collingwood and co,
that you adopt a ’switch on switch off’ policy during the test series.
Fingers crossed it’s going to be 2005 all over again\"

Former
England cricket captain Alec Stewart is also backing npower’s campaign,
commenting: \"The Ashes is the test series that all English, and
Australian, cricket fans look forward to and it is great that npower
has been such a huge part of English cricket for so many years. It is
also fantastic that the nation’s workforce is planning to get behind
the team, whether that is via TV, radio or online.

\"Since
hanging my bat up I have been involved in a business venture myself, so
I know how important it is to save energy, both in terms of cost and
carbon emissions, which is why I am backing npower’s ’switch on switch
off’ initiative - get behind the lads but just turn off a printer or
photocopier instead\"

Julia Lynch Williams continued: \"Many people
don’t realise that many local businesses are integral to the success of
the Ashes series. As part of our commitment to providing energy advice
to SMEs, we want to showcase some of those businesses that are working
so hard behind the scenes, whether it’s at the grounds or entertaining
the fans\"

The npower Ashes series starts in Cardiff on 8th July 2009.

Ends

Notes to Editor:
Online research was undertaken by YouGov across a sample of 1346 UK workers. The research took place in June 2009.

About npower:
npower
is one of the top energy suppliers to the UK business market, serving
over 230,000 small to medium sized enterprise sites and around 15,000
industrial and commercial customers, with over 100,000 sites.

npower
specialises in risk management solutions, including market-leading
flexible energy purchasing, energy efficiency, and broader energy
management functions, tailored to every size of business.

For more information visit the npower Media Centre.

PR Contact:
Nick McHugh
npower
Oak House
Worcester
01905 340 854
www.npower.com