ENERGY NEEDS TO BE SAVED IN THE REGION

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Oct 2006

Responding to a new survey from the Energy Saving Trust which revealed that 72% of people in the North East forget to switch their lights off, North East Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall said:

"What this survey shows is that there is a lot of energy - and money - to be saved in our region. It's time the Government stopped talking and took some practical steps to make energy saving easier.

"Here are three things the Government could do tomorrow to cut energy used on lighting:

"Firstly, the Government should support Europe-wide plans announced this week to bring in minimum energy performance standards. For lighting this could mean phasing out old-fashioned energy guzzling lightbulbs in favour of energy-saving fluorescent lights and LEDs. Local councils who want to introduce more energy efficient street lighting should be supported.

"Secondly, the Government could look into making movement-sensitive light switches a requirement in new and renovated buildings.

"And thirdly, the Government should roll out a mega-sized information campaign and household smart meters, so that everyone is clear how much money and energy they are saving by these measures.

"It's time to stop talking and get down to practical measures that will actively tackle climate change and cut people's fuel bills."