Organisers of Energy Efficiency Week, from October 23-28, aim to encourage us all to become more energy-efficient.

Events and activities will take place next week in Oxfordshire to educate people about the environment and to make them aware of the part they can play in helping to improve it.

Local councils have teamed up with British Gas to stage a series of Energy Events that will promote energy efficiency in the home.

There are many ways in which you can improve energy efficiency in your home and it could save you 250 pounds each year.

UK households spend an average of 1.2billion pounds-worth of electricity every year on cooling and freezing food and drink.

An efficient new fridge-freezer uses only half the amount of electricity and if everyone in the UK with an old G-rated fridge-freezer replaced it with an efficient model, carbon dioxide emisions would be reduced by more than four million tonnes.

Similarly efficient new washing machines, dishwashers, light bulbs and other electrical goods will help to reduce greatly the amount of electricity needed by each household.

Anil Kotecha, of British Gas, says: "The very best part about taking energy efficiency measures is that not only is it kind to the world around us, it's kind to the wallet as well."

Other ways to save energy can be discovered at your local energy event, where every visitor will be entered into a free draw to win an energy "makeover" for their home.

Elsewhere in the country, the week starts with the launch of the Energy Efficiency Recommended logo by television presenter Alice Beer.

The national network of 52 Energy Efficiency Advice Centres will introduce the label, which makes it easy for shoppers to recognise the most energy-efficient appliances on the market.

In conjunction with the launch, the Government-backed Energy Saving Trust will release the results of a survey into the shopping habits of UK consumers.

To encourage people to act on energy efficiency, a humorous and hard-hitting 3m television and print advertising campaign with the slogan "If you're not energy efficient, you need help!" will run over the coming weeks.

On October 23, a website featuring energy-efficient facts and figures, updated information on grants to help with the initial cost of installing energy-saving measures and contacts for local, trained energy-efficient installers will also go live.

For more energy-saving tips, go along to your local energy event, telephone the Energy Efficiency hotline on 0345 277 200 or visit the new website at www.saveenergy .co.uk