I did hear one statement on a TV programme, which said “if every house in the country changed just one bulb to low energy, enough power would be saved to close one power station”. I am not sure if that is true but we have nothing to lose by changing all of our bulbs over. I admit that the type of light given off by low energy bulbs is different to that of traditional bulbs, but you do get used to it in no time. All of our bulbs at home are now low energy and I certainly have noticed a reduction in our electricity bill, and I cannot remember the last time I had to change a bulb.

All new build houses have strict rules governing insulation, with extra thick loft insulation and double glazing as standard. But according to a recent survey more than half of our homes have insufficient loft insulation, and many do not have double glazing. You may think that as your loft is already insulated that you’re ok. But most loft insulation is old and badly degraded, lets face it most lofts are not nice and changing the insulation is a messy job. But there are huge savings to be made by making sure your loft is sufficiently insulated. In most cases you don’t have to remove the old lagging, you can just lay the new over the top. There are also companies which specialize in using new types of insulation made from re-cycled newspapers for a real environmentally friendly solution.

Check all of your windows and doors, even if you have existing seals as these deteriorate over time. If you do not have any seals on your doors and windows, you can buy the self adhesive type by the roll very cheaply. The added bonus by fitting door and window seals is that you reduce the noise coming in from outside too. As I live close to an airport I really appreciate the extra noise insulation, as well as the lack draughts which used to blow through our windows and doors.

Another great way to save energy is by proper use of the timer/programmer on the central heating. A huge number of people leave their heating on at times when it is not really needed. Check your programmer carefully; try to set your heating to turn on just 30 minutes before you come home. Do switch the heating off at night, not only do we not need the heating on at night, it is much healthier too. Look at the temperature in your house, there is no need to have tropical heat inside just because it is cold outside. A comfortable temperature is around 20 degrees, there really is no need to set it any warmer than that. It may take a bit of getting used to if you are used to having your heating at 25 degrees or warmer, but try reducing the stat every few days until your target temperature is reached. Try to check the temperatures in all of your rooms, many people overheat one room just to get a certain room up to a comfortable temperature. If you do not have them already fit thermostatically controlled radiator valves, this gives independent control in every room. After all, what is the point of having an un-used back bedroom as hot as your lounge?

Whist we cannot control the price we are charged for our power, we can control how we use it. It seems that still not enough is being done by government to encourage home users to save energy. According to price comparison service uSwitch.com, many customers will switch to a cheaper supplier as a result of the British Gas increases.And another two million British Gas customers will abandon the energy provider this year if it pushes prices up again."Customers have finally run out of patience with British Gas," said uSwith's director of home services Alan Tattersall. Adam Scorer, campaigns director at the watchdog Energywatch, said: "British Gas have regained their crown as the most expensive gas provider and in most parts of the UK the most expensive electricity provider." Energywatch wants "smart meters" brought in to enable all householders to monitor their energy usage and cut bills, whatever their supplier. British Gas's parent company Centrica revealed earlier this year that more than 1.1 million customers deserted British Gas in 2004 after bills were raised by 5.9% in January and by 12.4% eight months later. A further 445,000 left in the first six months of this year. However, a British Gas spokesman said the company did not expect to lose many more customers because of the latest price hikes.

If you would like to find out more about saving energy in the home visit the Energy Saving Trust web site