STEPHEN LEWIS takes advantage of energy Efficiency Week to find how we can do our bit to save the planet - and cut our fuel bills too.

YOU'VE heard of Men Behaving Badly - now comes homes behaving badly.

It's the latest campaign from the Energy Savings Trust to try to get householders to cut down on their energy use - saving themselves money and, cutting back on the emissions at the same time, which contribute to global warming.

Homes behaving badly is a new twist on an old message: that by making a few improvements to your home, you can cut your fuel bills dramatically.

"If your appliances are not energy efficient, they are letting you down," says Jennifer Hails, marketing manager of York's Energy Efficiency Advice Centre. "If your house is inefficient, if it is not insulated and has an old central heating system, it is letting you down too."

You don't necessarily have to spend a fortune to cut your fuel bills. Getting your home properly insulated - and who knows, you may be able to get a grant to help - could save you up to £250 a year. But a range of simple home economy measures - switching to energy efficient light bulbs, stocking your fridge and freezer properly, not boiling more water than you need - can all help.

While a modern central heating system will be much more efficient than an old one - saving you up to 32 per cent on your bills - simply having the system serviced regularly once a year can also help. "And it also makes sure that it is safe!" says Jennifer.

Energy used in the home accounts for one quarter of the UK's entire energy use. But it's not only in the home that you can save energy. The PlanetYork campaign aims to make the city a world leader in saving energy - and it includes targets for reducing energy waste in the home, at work, in school - and on the road.

Walking or cycling to work, or sharing a car, can all help enormously in cutting down on emissions, says Jennifer - as well as being healthier.

"We're not saying people cannot use their car," she says. "But we can be sensible. When you look at cars sitting in a traffic jam, how many of them just have one person inside? And then we wonder why the traffic queues are so bad."

Laura Collins, the Planet York campaign manager, is especially keen on parents encouraging children to walk to school. A fifth of all rush-hour traffic is caused by parents chauffeuring their children to school, she says.

So for the sake of your health, your purse, and the planet's future, why not take advantage of Energy Efficiency Week to think about the small ways you can change your life for the better?

It's a mistake to think you can't make a difference, says Megan Remmer, an assistant at the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre. "Even on our own, we can each make a difference. And when we put all those individual differences together, we can make a big difference," she says.

For a DIY home energy assessment form, which will enable you to get a free energy report on your home, contact the York Energy Advice Centre, tel 0800 512012. The centre can also offer a range of advice, including advice on green power tariffs, grants for home insulation and approved "energy efficient installers" who can be relied upon to install appliances safely and who will give energy-saving advice too. It can also arrange for your central heating to be serviced for only £54.99.