After receiving a fairly shocking electricity and gas bill, I have all of a sudden become interested in energy saving; it's funny how often the most efficient way of making a man listen is through his wallet.

The main thing to remember about energy saving is that it isn't actually difficult; the challenge comes in identifying how you can best achieve savings and then working out how to implement them. Pretty much all the advice you'll ever receive when it comes to energy saving is common sense but that said there are some things that you simply wouldn't usually think of unless they're suggested.

The rather amusingly entitled report 'The Ampere Strikes Back'. was recently released by the Energy Saving Trust fund which suggested that by the year 2020, home entertainment and computer technology will account for a massive 45% of all household electricity used. To put it another way, this means that 14 power stations will be required in the UK alone to meet the power demands of 'gadgets'. This statistic is doubly shocking when it is made apparent that a large proportion of the usage is completely unnecessary. As an example, I'm looking around my living room now and literally everything is on 'standby' mode as most modern appliances don't include an off button. Forgetting to turn appliances off at the wall socket is an easy mistake to make and most people don't realise that this still uses a relatively large amount of power - some freeview boxes for example use just as much energy in standby mode as when they're fully powered up.

Fortunately the Energy Saving Trust website (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) can help you cut back on your energy bills whilst reducing your carbon footprint. The website is split in to the following categories which between them cover pretty much all the straightforward stuff you should know about climate change and how to prevent it:

Your impact on climate change - This section explains what climate change is, the part humanity is playing and what's currently being done to help reverse the trend.
What can I do today - Covers the basics of what you can do right now in order to reduce the amount of energy you use. You are invited to answer a short questionnaire which will establish the most effective ways for your household to save money.
Energy Saving Products - From checking out the energy rating of your washing machine to choosing a new lightbulb, you'll find details here on buying an appliance which will minimise your energy use here.
Home Improvements - The way that your home has been constructed makes a huge difference to its energy efficiency. This section will help you identify what modifications you could make to your house, the potential savings and will give details of any grants you may be eligible for.
Generate your own energy - This section discusses possibilities such as solar panelling, heat pumps and small wind turbines which could all help you make big savings on your energy bills. This is the most interesting area for me as for a while I've been looking in to the possibility of making our house self sufficient when it comes to our electricity.

I've always been a big advocate of recycling; pretty much 100% of the waste that we produce at work gets recycled and these two shocking bills have made me think maybe I should be doing more when it comes to conserving power. No one reading this article has an excuse not to visit the Energy Trust website; even if you don't worry about the environmental impact of your energy usage then change your perspective by considering the money that could be saved by reducing it.

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