Energy Saving Week kicks off on October 20th 2007 with Standby Saturday - a drive to get Brits to properly turn off their electrical devices when not in use.

The flagship event - sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) - aims to raise awareness among UK homeowners about the unnecessary waste caused by leaving non-essential appliances plugged in and switched on.

TVs are particularly bad offenders, with Britain's 62 million sets consuming eight per cent of the energy they would when switched on simply by being in standby mode, but other devices such as home computers and mobile phone are also major causers of waste.

Defra - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - estimates that 'standby laziness' contributes more than four million tonnes of CO2 emissions to the UK's carbon footprint, while EST says the average household can cut its electricity bill by ten per cent by switching off devices properly.

The non-profit organisations, funded by both the government and the private sector, also recommends double glazing and other insulation technologies to lower energy consumption.

It is estimated that 27 per cent of the UK's greenhouse gases are emitted by UK homes.

© Adfero Ltd

Author:  Joanne McCabe

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