">

A new TV series - 'How to… Reduce Energy Consumption & Save Money' reckoned it could tell the average British household how to save up to £1,500 per year.

With the much reported energy rises you'd think saving energy and reducing energy bills would be top of everybody's list but you'd be wrong.

The shows makers report that only 6 out of 10 households made any attempt to reduce energy or water consumption in 2010, which means 10.6 million households did nothing - an estimated £6.2 billion (or £592 per household) evaporating into thin air.

Its also estimated that the average household will spend £650 on winter fuel bills this winter - that's up 18% compared to last year.

Of the 10.6 million households that did nothing to reduce their energy or water usage, 7/10 blamed busy home lives, lack of time or small financial return.

4/10 said they had no spare cash to make alterations that would reduce bills and nearly a third said that as tenants, it wasn't their responsibility.

A further third said they didn't believe in global warming whilst one in ten households claimed they didn't know cutting back was possible in order to save money.

7/10 homes still admitted to leaving household appliances like TV's and game consoles (the worst offenders) on standby, clocking up an extra 17.5 hours a say. Closely followed by dishwashers (9 hours), washing machines (6 hours) and tumble driers (2 hours).

The programme's first episode aired on the 18th January to be followed by a further 7 weekly episodes on Sky Showcase etc. It includes advice from experts at Waterwise and the Energy Saving Trust.

For more renewable energy stories, don't forget to check out our Renewable Energy Blog - updated daily.