If you have kids, and your house is anything like our house, you will spend a fair amount of energy wandering up and down turning the lights off. I often complain that it’s like Blackpool Illuminations in our house, and now sound very similar to my own dad who used to complain about me. The use of the standby on our TV really annoys me as well, because I don’t think it takes that much effort to turn it off.

I also remember a great line in the comedy ‘The Royal Family’, when they were discussing Kennedy being shot, and Jim Royale was asked if he remembered where he was when the President was shot, to which replied: “no, but I’m sure our immersion was on!”

These demonstrate the importance this week’s Energy Saving Week, organised by the Energy Saving Trust, to highlight the impact that needlessly wasting energy can have on the electricity bills of hard working people.

More and more people are contacting me on the matter of fuel bills, and I imagine that these figures will rise as we move into the winter.

People have said to me that they would like to save money on energy bills, but are concerned about the possible cost, the hassle factor, and the fact that they simply don’t know where to begin. I had a meeting in Westminster this week with the Energy Saving Trust and local councils from around the country to see what more central government can do to help local authorities in this. But Energy Saving Week shows that small steps can make a big dent in your fuel bills.

The Energy Saving Trust recommends ten quick and simple ways that people can start to save energy in their homes.

• Turn the thermostat down by 1 degree. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £50 per year.

• Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.

• Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.

• Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances, such as mobile phones, on charge unnecessarily.

• If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.

• Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).

• A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!

• Use energy saving lightbulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and using one can save you around £40 over the lifetime of the bulb and only take a few minutes to install. This saving could be up to £60 over its lifetime if you’re replacing a very high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day.

• Call the Act on CO2 Advice Line on 0800 512 012 for free, local, impartial, individually tailored advice on measures you can take to save energy. Advisers can also let people know about grants and other help that may be available.

• Visit the Energy Saving Trust website at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk for a wide variety of information on saving energy, including Energy Saving Recommended products, insulation, generating your own energy, greener transport and more.

These top ten tips are not very difficult and should make a real difference in helping you to save energy, save money and, ultimately, save the planet.