Six easy ways to a green Christmas

The run-up to Christmas and its many trimmings can leave most of us with fuller tummies, lighter purses and overindulgence burdening our eco-consciences.

Try following these energy-saving tips from energy supplier E.ON to ease some of the pressure on your purse and the planet - and still have fun.

1. Before leaving the office to go on holiday, switch off your PC and monitor rather than leave them in standby mode.

2. Make your house sparkle with energy-saving LED Christmas lights, which use 90% less electricity than conventional fairy lights.

3. Try using a timer to switch off your outdoor Christmas lights. Leaving them on for 10 hours a day produces enough CO2 to fill 12 balloons in as many days.

4. It might be cold outside, but for every 1C you turn up your thermostat, you could add 10% to your energy bills. Try a jumper instead.

5. Try setting up a car-sharing rota with friends and neighbours to minimise your Christmas carbon footprint as you hot-tail it to all the festive parties.

6. Boiling water with a kettle rather than the hob and keeping lids on saucepans will cook your veg faster and keep your energy bills down.

For more tips on how to have an energy-efficient holiday season, see www.eonenergy.com/energyefficiency.