The government has reiterated the importance of energy saving and helping to protect the environment.

According to climate change minister Joan Ruddock, more efficient use of energy in the home can go a long way towards achieving the UK's climate change targets.

She also insisted that using gas and electricity more wisely could have financial benefits as well.

Indeed, Ms Ruddock said living in a green home would make a "real difference" to a household's utility bills.

I think she's absolutely right and there are a number of ways in which homes in the UK can achieve substantial energy savings.

Big Green Smile has already suggested various ideas such as only using the washing machine if a person has a full load.

Another top way of saving energy is when using the kettle, people should only boil the amount of water they actually need.

These are small and simple but effective ways of saving both energy and money at the same time, both of which should be a priority in these challenging times. 7ed4nyjhic