Did you know that by making little changes to your energy consumption you could knock up to £300 a year off your fuel bills. It really doesn't take long to make a difference. There's always something you can do, however little time you have.

Examples taken from the Energy Saving Trust.

In just one minute

• Turn your thermostat down by one degree and save around £55 a year.
• Remember to turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Reuse plastic bags as much as possible. Keep spare plastic bags in your handbag, car, desk at work or even your pockets so you never get caught short.
• Switch appliances off at the mains. Leaving them on standby costs the average home £33 a year.
• Turn the water off between uses when brushing your teeth. Dont leave it running while you're actually brushing.

In five minutes

• Only boil as much water as you need when making a cup of tea or coffee.
• Use heating controls so you only heat the rooms you're using
• Put a water displacement device, like a Hippo, Save-a-flush or a Frog in your toilet cistern as a simple way to save water when you flush.

In quarter of an hour

• Remember to recycle the waste from all the bins in your house - not just in the kitchen.
• Get the most out of your heating system, so you only use the heat you need
• Find local food and drink suppliers. Buying local is the most sustainable way to shop as the produce hasn't been transported from afar. It will also support the local industry.
• Big Barn lets you enter your postcode to find local food suppliers near you.
  CAMRA has the details of local breweries
  The internet wine guide lists British vineyards.
• Organise a car share. If you know people near you are going the same way, arrange a car share with them so you save petrol costs.

In half an hour

• Treat your hot water tank by giving it a jacket. An insulating jacket for hot water tanks only costs a few pounds and pays for itself within months. Go for one that is at least 75mm (3'') thick and you could save around £35 a year.
• Invest in a water butt and use the water you collect on the garden or to wash the car.
• Set up a compost heap in your garden. It's great for fertilizing a vegetable patch and is an energy efficient way to dispose of organic waste. Recyclenow.com shows you how to get started.
• Complete a free Home Energy Check and we'll provide a free report to help you reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in your home.

In 40 minutes

• Try not to waste food. When preparing a meal, reuse leftovers. There's lots of delicious meal that can be made from leftovers. Visit Love Food, Hate Waste for recipes. If everyone in the UK eliminated their food waste, the CO2 saving would be the same as taking one in five cars off the road.
• Insulate the pipe-work carrying hot water around your home and save up to £10 a year.
• Draught proof doors, windows and letter boxes and save around £25 a year. You'll need to plug all draughts to make the saving.
• Get more information on how to plug draughts here.

In an hour to half a day

• Insulate your loft to the recommended depth of 270mm and save up to £150 a year if you previous had none. Find out more.
• Get cavity wall insulation. This only applies to homes built between the 1920s and 1990s, but could save you up to £115 on annual heating bills. Find out more.
• Swap your old G-rated boiler for a new condensing one with full heating controls and cut your bills by up to £235 a year. Find out more.
• Start a vegetable patch. It's the cheapest way to put food on your plate, tastes delicious, is very rewarding, healthier and lowers your carbon footprint. You don't need much space to get started - you can even grow a lot of things in containers on a balcony or on the patio. Find out more here