'Greedy' appliances to power one million homes

Squeezing more energy out of power supplies will help power more than one million homes, the government claims.

Efficiency improvements to the greediest home appliances - including power supplies for laptops, mobile phones and printers - can save enough energy to power 1.5 million homes, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

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In its Sustainable Products and Materials report, Defra says businesses have already made progress towards achieving these savings.

Climate change minister Joan Ruddock said in a statement: "Many businesses are already taking positive steps to reduce the environmental impact of their products, and are seeing the real benefits this can have, both for them and their customers.

"But as fuel prices rise, commodities become scarcer, and families are feeling the pinch, it becomes ever more important for businesses to use resources more efficiently throughout the supply chain, those that don't will miss out on potential savings, as well as big opportunities for growth."

The government also announced an initiative with retailers to take inefficient light bulbs off the shelves by 2011, claiming energy saving light bulbs can reduce lighting costs by up to £100 over the lifetime of the bulb.