New environmental legislation 'will cut energy use'

When the government's new environmental legislation programme is rolled out, it will help reduce the amount of energy households use, it has been said.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has stated that smart meters, which reveal how much energy is being consumed, will be rolled out in the second half of 2014 to save each home £23 a year.

David Weatherall, housing strategy manager for the Energy Saving Trust, said while the energy monitors cannot directly reduce the amount of fuel used, they can encourage positive behaviour among homeowners.

"Smart meters are not in themselves 'smart' - they can't cut carbon and bills on their own," he stated.

"The householder has to be engaged enough to take action based on the information they're given."

Mr Weatherall revealed that they can reduce energy consumption by between five and ten per cent for each household as it motivated people to switch their televisions and computers off standby.

Posted by Claire Manning