Saving energy and watching the pennies is something no-one can escape during the current economic climate but Falkirk Council tenants may soon be able to do both.

Falkirk Council has teamed up with British Gas to offer tenants two 'free' energy saving products which will allow tenants to monitor and reduce their energy use at home.

This week a letter will be sent to all council tenants - 16,300 - offering them both products which could cost £60 to buy and result in significant savings.

Councillor Gerry Goldie, Convener of the Housing and Social Services Committee said: "We all need to be more energy aware and these two products will really help tenants save money and be more aware of the energy used at home.


"I would urge all Falkirk Council tenants to reply to the letter to ensure they are first in line for this excellent 'green' offer - it costs nothing but will most definitely save something!"

The energy saving offer includes the Standby Saver looks and works like a multi-plug socket and can help reduce your electricity bill by up to £33 a year. It's easy to set up yourself, and once in use, it will detect when you switch off your TV with the remote control. It then cuts the power to everything else that is plugged in, saving electricity that would be wasted on standby. Switch the TV back on and all your appliances are ready to use again.

The RealTime Electricity Monitor which is also available shows approximately how much electricity you are using in your home in real time - shown in power or in pounds and pence. You can check things like how much appliances cost to use or the savings you could make from switching lights off. Because you can see the amount of energy you are using, you will feel more in control of how much you are spending.

Both products are simple to use and come with full instructions.

(GK/JM)