Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Do you know how much electricity you actually use?

Wiltshire residents can get help to cut electricity costs by monitoring how much energy they use.

Wiltshire Council (WC) has launched a pilot scheme to make home energy monitors available free of charge. Home energy monitors are available to borrow from Trowbridge, Warminster or Bradford-on-Avon libraries.

The energy monitors are easy to use and show when energy usage goes up or down in people's homes. They instantly show the cost of switching on a light, turning on the TV or boiling a kettle. The scheme aims to help people save energy by taking simple measures to make energy savings like replacing old light bulbs with energy efficient ones or not leaving appliances on standby.

People may be able to save hundreds of pounds by making simple changes. A member of the council's climate change team found they could save around £200 a year by switching off a heated towel rail.

The home energy monitors, provided by Southern Electric, are available on a three week loan for members of the library service.

Interestingly, the three items that use a lot of energy are the tumble dryer (no surprise there), the iron and the vacuum cleaner. So, if you don't fancy doing housework or a pile of ironing you can now safely claim that you are saving the planet by conserving energy!!