Borough residents lead Surrey in quest to cut energy bills (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

Borough residents lead Surrey in quest to cut energy bills

2:20pm Friday 5th February 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)

More than 400 residents have borrowed energy monitors courtesy of a Surrey County Council scheme to cut bills – with people in Reigate and Banstead leading the way.

The energy monitor lending scheme, designed to help households save up to £150 each year on energy bills, has proved most popular in the borough.

Sixty-four individuals and families borrowed the devices from one of the six local libraries during last October and November.

Residents in Mole Valley were not far behind in the county-wide scheme, with 51 borrowed, putting the district third in Surrey, behind Elmbridge where 55 devices were taken out.

People in Tandridge though finished well down the list with 27 monitors borrowed, above the 22 taken out in Spelthorne.

A Surrey County Council spokeswoman said: “Surprisingly no requests to borrow an energy monitor have been received in Bagshot, Lightwater, Bramley or Byfleet.”

Local libraries across the county are lending energy monitors to individuals, couples and families so they can better understand the energy consumption rates of household appliances.

By understanding which devices are using electricity at any given time, residents can reduce consumption by turning off appliances and lights that are not being used, and upgrading devices to more energy efficient models, saving up to 15%.

The scheme is supported by Surrey Climate Change Partnership, which is made up of members of Surrey County Council and the county’s 11 borough and district councils.

Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for the environment, Lynne Hack, said: “It is great to see so many residents taking energy use seriously.

“This is a fantastic scheme that raises environmental awareness and can genuinely help residents save money.”

There are nearly 300 devices available for loan across Surrey's 54 libraries, and each monitor can be borrowed for up to three weeks.

For more information or to find out if your local library has a monitor in stock call 0300 200 1001.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)