Fitting energy-saving light bulbs, cavity wall and loft insulation, and installing a modern boiler can help a home become more carbon neutral.

Alliance & Leicester (A&L;) says that the cost of improvements could be as much as £9,000 initially, with benefits seen over a number of years.

Energy-saving light bulbs last about 12 times longer and use 75 per cent less power than ordinary ones. A&L; say that this saves about £65 per bulb’s lifespan.

Cavity wall insulation, which is injected between the external walls of a house, can save up to £120 a year for an initial outlay of about £500.

For the die-hard environmentalist, wind turbines can be bought from £1,500 and can save on electricity bills, while solar panels and the accompanying systems start at about £5,000.

Recently prime minister Gordon Brown said five million homes would be able to get low-cost insulation over the next three years.

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