Centrica today launched a campaign to reduce energy waste in UK households by one billion pounds, which according to a statement released by Centrica: the parent company of British Gas; is the equivalent of planting a forest thirteen times the size of London.

British Gas has also revealed the results of its Energy Savers Report, which revealed that two in three British households would "fail' an energy efficiency test. The results also revealed showed that the North of the country was generally more energy efficient than the South.

Only two of the most efficient local authority areas were in the South of the UK, (Portsmouth and Gosport), whilst the ten most inefficient are al based in and around London.

According to the statement if energy continues to be wasted at its current rate then by 2020 UK households will be wasting £11billion worth of energy every year.

The new '˜Save a Billion' campaign has at its core, two aims, first to raise awareness of the scale of energy waste in the UK and secondly to highlight the steps people can take to reduce energy waste.

The Brand Director for British Gas said in the statement: "One in every three pounds spent on energy in the UK is wasted through poor energy efficiency. Energy waste is a global issue but if we all do our bit to reduce waste then we can permanently cut our energy bills and help to save the environment. Our aim is to reduce one billion pounds worth of energy waste but if everyone made a few small changes then we could save a lot more. A few simple steps can make a big difference.'

United kingdom Energy