Two-hour 'switch off' takes place

Businesses and homeowners are being urged to switch off unused appliances and lights for two hours later to save energy.

The Leicestershire Big Switch Off campaign. run by the county council, will see the lights go out between 1630 BST and 1830 BST.

Energy firm Central Networks will monitor how much power is saved during the two-hour switch-off.

A similar scheme in Derby in March 2008 saved 65,000 kwhs in just one hour.

Councillor Ernie White from Leicestershire County Council said: "It is all about how much energy we use and how much energy we waste by leaving appliances on standby for most of the time."

"We need to get it into people's heads to switch things off when they are not in use."

Leicester City Council has also urged people to cut down on the amount of power they use.

Councillor Michael Cook, of the city council, said it was handing out 100 "power-down" devices that allow people to turn off computer equipment more easily.

More than £740m worth of energy a year is wasted at homes in the UK by leaving appliances on standby, the county council has estimated.