Power monitors go on library loan

Library users in a Sussex town will be able to borrow electricity monitors to help them cut energy bills.

The monitors will be available from the library in Lewes on the same renewable three-week loans as books.

The resource will be available from the start of Energy Saving Week on 19 October until the end of the year.

The scheme could be extended across the whole county if it is successful in Lewes, an East Sussex County Council spokesman said.

Once the monitor is installed in a house, a portable handheld display shows the electricity output and cost in real time, so people can see the effect of switching their appliances on and off.

The council said it would give householders the chance to reduce energy use, save money and help the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.