More and more people are switching to low energy, energy saving light bulbs, and there are a number of places where you can get a wide range of energy saving light bulbs quite cheaply.

In most homes, lighting accounts for around 10-15 per cent of an electricity bill. Traditional lightbulbs waste a lot of their energy by turning it into heat. Each energy saving bulb can reduce your electricity bill by up to £7 ($14) a year. They also last, on average up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs.

Over the last few years they have become increasingly cheaper. You can now get some great value low energy, long life Light Bulbs to save money and possibly help the environment.

Most common household appliances are equipped with an on/off switch. Many people don't realize, however, that these appliances may still be consuming electricity even when they are switched off.

Any device that can be operated with a remote-control is consuming power around the clock. It has to stay in a ready state in order to be switched on by the remote control. The ready state consumes less electricity than when the device is "on", but over a 24-hour period the energy consumption can be substantial.

To fix this, when you turn off the TV or the stereo, also turn off the power supply to the outlet.

DC converters or "wall warts" that are used with many small appliances like modems, cordless phones, and recharging devices use energy even when the device is not in use. Unplug these when not in use to save wasted energy.