Eight out of ten British consumers would consider making environmental improvement to their property if they could get a reduction on council tax and 60% would do so if it would make their house significantly cheaper to run.

But a half of all British consumers think it is too costly to make their homes eco-friendly, according to the new ‘Eco-Homes' survey from home insurer, MORE TH>N.

Growing cases of extreme weather conditions and a greater political focus on green issues have made British homeowners more concerned about environmental issues in the last 12 months. The knock-on effect of this is that over a quarter of all households claim to have made environmental improvements to their homes and over half (55%) believe they already have an ‘eco-friendly' house. Yet many households have only taken small steps so far.

For example, nine out of ten have got double-glazing installed; 84% recycle; three-quarters use energy-efficient light bulbs and four out of ten have a compost heap. Only 2% of all households use renewable energy, 1% has solar thermal hot water systems in place and 5% use natural materials in the building and decoration of their homes.

Mike Holliday-Williams, managing director of MORE TH>N, commented on the findings: "Our homes account for 27% of all carbon emissions and they consume three times more energy than the use of private cars. It's therefore time that we took note and acknowledged that we all have a part to play in helping the environment."

“Many people assume that it will cost them money to become more energy efficient at home but in reality there are many simple things that anyone can do today that won’t cost them anything.”

MORE TH>N’s top five energy saving tips are:

• Turning your thermostat down by 1oC could cut your heating bills by up to 10% and save you around £40 a year.
• Don’t leave TVs, videos or DVD players on standby and remember not to leave your mobile phone charger plugged in whilst not in use.
• If you don’t completely fill up your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half load or economy setting.
• Only boil as much water as you need, but remember to always cover the elements in an electric kettle.
• Replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones.