Apparently, we’re going to be urged to follow a government information campaign that will give us all tips on how to save energy in our homes this autumn.

Despite the new annual price cap of £2,500 introduced by incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss, the cost of keeping warm is going to be a major concern for the foreseeable future.

The war in Ukraine shows no signs of coming to an end, with Russia still dangling its power carrot over the highly-compromised Nord Stream gas pipeline that runs to Europe through the Baltic Sea.

Public buildings in Germany are already rationing energy use. Other countries in Europe have introduced public information campaigns. Switzerland launched an initiative with 40 partners from the public and private sector, using the slogan: “Energy is scarce, let’s not waste it.” The advice includes instructing people to turn down their thermostats, take showers instead of baths, turn off electrical appliances and use a lid when boiling water.

We should take heed. As pressure grows on UK-serving energy companies to keep the lights on and the wheels of industry and commerce turning, we’re being warned that rationing and domestic power cuts might be the result here.

The counter-argument to the new price cap - around half the threatened £5,000 the energy companies wanted to impose a few weeks ago - is that better-off households will just keep on using energy as they were, without a thought for the bigger picture. This, eventually, will put pressure on the entire national energy grid, which will grind to a halt.

It sounds like we’re all in this together, again. Or maybe some of us are in and some of us will simply ignore it and assume that the rules don’t apply – I think we’ve been here before, haven’t we?

So I’m wondering if Mr Rees Mogg is running round both his houses - he owns a rambling Grade II listed manor house, Gournay Court, in Somerset and a town house thought to be worth in the region of £5m in Westminster – making energy efficient improvements?

Somehow, I can’t imagine it. And this makes me worry about what these new official energy-saving measures are going to mean in reality for millions of far less-privileged citizens. It will be one rule for us and one rule for them. And once more, we’ll be encouraged to spy on our neighbours and dobby them in for leaving the lights on all night.

I came downstairs this morning to find my son had gone to bed and left the living room lamp on and the microwave door open. I immediately felt guilty.

But then I’m old enough to remember the power cuts of the 1970s. Back then, we relied on candles to get us to bed and oil lamps and camping stoves. Two coal fires – despite the miners’ strikes – kept burning and we stayed warm, downstairs at least. Five decades ago, the world was a very different and much simpler place.

Selfishly, I’m already planning how to keep my laptop charged if we suddenly find ourselves plunged into power cuts. Without a keyboard, I can’t work. So I can’t earn money to buy food.

I’ll be dragooning old laptops back into service and keeping them fully charged at all times. Then there’s the internet of course. Many data centre operators are already reporting energy use restrictions in Europe, where they are running services on an intermittent basis and relying on back-up power sources to stay online.

I’m just one person who works from home. The government is really not going to care about me. However, there are huge fears already about how the national technology infrastructure, banking, hospitals, schools, retailers, the hospitality industry are going to cope, should rationing or restrictions come into force. No wonder the government want us to start boiling our vegetables with the lids on the pans (who doesn’t anyway?) and taking showers instead of baths. However, it seems to me that whatever we can do as individuals and households, our efforts will end up as a drop in the ocean.

Can we put our faith in Mr Rees-Mogg to lead from the front and understand that millions of people may be about to face even more upheaval to their lives that Covid brought?

I think we need to know, before Christmas – and all those twinkling lights – is cancelled once again.

Can Jacob Rees-Mogg really help our energy bills? - Jayne Dowle