DIYWEEK.net

DIY giant teams up with British Gas to help customers reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills.
As part of a new initiative, from Friday, October 31, anyone who takes a standard light bulb into a B&Q store in England, Scotland or Wales will receive two energy saving light bulbs in its place.

Lighting accounts for around 15% of the electricity usage in most UK homes.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, just one energy saving bulb can save homeowners £3 a year and 11kg of CO2. For brighter bulbs, the saving can be as much as £6.

B&Q chief executive, Euan Sutherland said of the initiative: "Standard bulbs last for between 1,000 to 1,500 hours - about a year. Energy saving bulbs can last up to 15,000 hours - that's over ten years, saving you money as well as reducing the amount of energy you use.

"As part of our commitment to One Planet Living we are dedicated to helping customers make their homes as energy efficient as possible, so we hope this light bulb amnesty will encourage people to make the small changes to their homes that are good for their pockets and good for the planet."

B&Q will also be running energy efficiency workshops in its Chorley branch during the October half term this week. The thirty-minute workshops will take place Monday to Friday at 7pm and at 3pm at the weekend.

The green workshops will focus on the installation of insulation, thermostatic radiator valves and the benefits of energy saving light bulbs in a bid to make customers more environmentally aware in their homes.