Current Cost real-time energy monitors on loan from local libraries are helping householders in Derbyshire cut energy bills and community carbon dioxide emissions.

Hundreds of Derbyshire residents are saving money on their electricity bills by checking their energy use with a free monitors available from Derby City and Derbyshire County Council libraries.

Current cost monitors check how much electricity being used - instantly showing the cost of turning on a light, boiling a kettle or switching on the tumble dryer. A number of borrowers have tried to save energy prior to borrowing the real-time energy monitor - by switching to energy-saving light bulbs, for instance - but they were surprised by how much electricity was being used when things like irons and other appliances that generate heat were left on.

The monitors have been helping users save an average £60-£70, which equates to 10-15% of their electricity consumption a year by highlighting where energy is being wasted.

The monitors are easy to use and involve clipping a sensor to the cable on your electricity meter. This then transmits information on usage to a monitor screen in the home where it is easy to see.

Funding for the latest monitors comes from East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (EM IEP).

With the libraries scheme now well-established, the council is planning to pilot a roll-out the loan model to small to medium businesses.

For more information on how you can save energy in your home go to: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/home