Eleven major electronic goods retailers have been called in to a Defra summit at Downing Street today in a bid to persuade them to stock more energy efficient home products.

Defra’s figures show household gadgets make up 30% of the UK's total domestic electricity consumption. Last year, consumer electronics used around 18 terawatt-hours equivalent to the annual output from 5 standard power stations.

Predictions of rising numbers of televisions, digital set-top boxes and larger screens in people's homes are set to push that figure even higher. Over 50 million digital set-top boxes will be in UK homes by 2012, needing an additional 3.5TWh to power them, said Defra.

Environment Minister Ian Pearson and Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Healey will meet the consumer electronic retailers to discuss how they can help deliver more energy efficient products for their customers.

Ministers are looking to set up a voluntary partnership for retailers to commit, from next year, to sell energy efficient consumer electronic products, with the aim of significantly reducing carbon emissions from these products by 2010.

Retailers will be asked to work with Defra officials to develop detailed proposals following the meeting.

Mr Healey said: "Just leaving devices such as TVs and DVD players on standby at home puts up to one million tonnes of carbon a year into the atmosphere and costs households around £25 a year."

"By working in partnership with retailers, this initiative will not only help tackle climate change, it will help cut customers' electricity bills."

Retailers attending the Summit include Argos Retail Group (Argos and Homebase); Amazon, Asda, Comet, Dixons Group (Currys); John Lewis, Kingfisher (B&Q); Morrisons, Morphy Richards, Sainsbury's and Tesco.