Green gadget could turn you Scrooge this Xmas

Never mind the green Christmas tree - the rest of the festive season is likely to be the least green periods of the year.

It's freezing outside so the heating is on constantly, we're all glued to the TV, plugging in all our new Christmas gadgets, and the oven is permanently on for about a week so that we can feast on turkey with all the trimmings. Not very environmentally friendly behaviour.

Energy meter Efergy can help you change your ways, in whatever small way. It plugs onto your mains cable, and also features a wireless, standalone display that allows you to monitor your exact energy use in real time. It'll help you become more energy efficient, less wasteful and save money at the same time.

Total use recorded

The Efergy meter has a built-in memory function which totals up and records consumption at the end of every day, week and month on a rolling basis. This means you'll be able to keep track of your energy usage and work out where you could be drawing back usage.

The data on the screen of the Efergy meter is refreshed every six seconds, so you'll immediately be able to tell exactly how much energy is used when you switch the TV one, whack the kettle on to make a cup of tea, or turn the oven up a notch.

Having a visual display showing exactly how much electricity is being consumed at any one time means it's easier to turn off what is not essential, such as little-used printers or gadgets plugged in even if they are fully charged, as well as switch off unnecessary lighting.

The Efergy meter costs £43 if you enter 'Offer07' when ordering from http://www.efergy.com