However by turning off any electrical appliances that aren't being used at the time, you could save up to 150kg of CO² a year. Any appliances with power packs or adapters should be switched off at the plug (or unplugged), as otherwise they will continue to use up energy. By doing so you could save over £ 38 annually.

Power packs and adapters are commonly used on modern technology to boost the supply of electricity. A few examples of products that might have them are TVs, DVD players, game consoles, modems and other computer equipments. You know an appliance has an adapter or pack as when it is switched of the adapter will stay warm or may have an LED light that is on.

The amount of energy used of very little (approximately 4 watts an hour), however is you have a couple of appliances like this in your house, the amount of energy unnecessarily used increases.

When purchasing new appliances you might want to invest in 'A' or 'A+' rated appliances. Your old fridge/freezer may cost you 2,5 times more energy to power than a modern 'A' rated one. Also when buying a computer perhaps choose a laptop over a desktop as they use far less electricity to operate.

Kettle

A kettle uses a lot of power to boil water, so try to only boil as much as you need. Also you need to make sure that your kettle is clean and free of lime scale.

Cooking

Use the kettle to boil water for cooking, instead of heating a pan on the stove. Not only will this be more efficient, but it generally takes less time. Also use the toaster for making toast rather than a grill.

Use the correct size pan for the food and the cooker hob. A small pan on a big hob wastes a lot of heat/energy. Also keep saucepan lids on, as this enable you to turn down the heat.

Fridge & Freezer

It is important to defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis to keep them running efficiently. Also let any food completely cool down before putting it the fridge. Try not to leave your fridge/freezer door open any longer than necessary, as a lot of cold air escapes, causing it to have to use twice as much energy.

It is advisable to place your fridge/freezer away from any cookers or heaters.

Dishwasher

If you have a dishwasher try to use the low-temperature programme, unless you have very dirty dishes. Make sure you wash a full load or use a half-load / economy programme. Fewer loads however not only reduce energy use, also water use!

Washing machine

Make sure you wash a full load or use a half-load / economy programme. Fewer loads however not only reduce energy use, also water use!

When possible try washing at a lower temperature, as approximately 90% of the energy use goes to water heating! i.e. 30 instead of 40, 40 instead of 60, this could cut the energy use down by a third. All modern detergents are designed to clean successfully at these temperatures.

Dryer

Avoid putting really wet clothes in. Either spin-dry or wring them out first, this is faster and more efficient.
However the best solution is not to tumble dry at all! Whenever possible hang your clothes outside to dry. Try using

Computers

Make sure that you enable the ’power management’ on your computer(s) and to switch them off at night when not using them. Also a laptop computer uses up to 90% less energy than bigger desktop models.

Rechargeable Batteries

Within the UK over 650 million batteries get thrown away on a yearly basis, polluting the soil and filling landfill sites. Using rechargeable batteries will costs slightly more to buy, however the costs are recovered within the first 5 charges, recharging costs are minimal and they are more efficient.