Most people neglect the need to properly insulate their homes. What they do not know is that this negligence contributes to the excessive amount of energy being wasted everyday. If you try to look at pictures of houses under infrared vision, you may see specks of light around the house. These light spots are actually heat that is being released in the atmosphere. This is not a pleasant indication since heat loss means greater amount of fuel you need to maintain heat inside the house. This only covers a part of the heat wasted from homes. There are still other sources of wasted energy that most people neglect on their everyday lives.



On average a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) television set uses 100 watts of power when in use and about two watts on standby. Newer LCD and plasma screens are higher users of energy, with the largest models consuming up to 400 watts when in use and about four watts on standby. DVD players: Consumers can safely switch off most DVD players/recorders, hard disk recorders or video recorders purchased in recent years, according to the Energy Saving Trust. They should not need to retune the devices when they are switched back on or have to contend with the dreaded flashing clock as the machines usually retain their settings. However, manufacturers recommend that some satellite TV receivers be left in standby when not in use so they can receive updates.

It may not be practical to turn a computer on-and-off if it is to be used throughout the day. However, the Energy Saving Trust suggests turning the monitor off when not in use. Peripherals like printers and scanners should also be turned off when not in use. Leaving unnecessary items on standby is said to costs each household an average of ?37 a year.

If chargers for devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players were unplugged when not in use, the UK could save enough electricity each year to power 115,000 homes.

Chargers are not huge energy consumers in their own right, but across the UK those left plugged in unnecessarily waste over ?60m and are responsible for a quarter of a million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. If a charger feels warm when it is plugged in without being attached to a device it is still converting energy.

One of the major concerns however are boilers. A faulty or overly old boiler will waste energy by the sack-full and it will be you who forks out the cash for it. British Gas are doing excellent things at the moment with repairs and maintenance and if you think you may have an inefficient boiler then I cannot recommend them wholeheartedly enough. They will save you money.