'Technology-obsessed' West Midlanders are plunging the region into an 'energy obesity' epidemic, claims new research.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, 76 per cent of West Midlanders habitually waste high levels of energy every day.
In a report called Energy and Waste in an Age of Excess, the trust claims £6.2 billion worth of energy and 65.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which significantly contributes to climate change, will be wasted in the region by 2020 unless households take steps to reduce excessive energy use in their homes.
The group claims West Midlanders have up to 12 gadgets unnecessarily on stand-by or charging at any time - constituting a massive drain on the region's energy.
More than £65 million is wasted each year in the region through appliances being left on, with stereos accounting for £25.4 million. Other major drains on the region's energy resources include VCRs, TVs, DVDs, games consols, computer monitors and mobile phone chargers being left on stand-by.
The trust also claims that one in ten people in the region incorrectly believed that turning off their appliances created an energy surge which was more wasteful than leaving them on stand-by.
The Energy Saving Trust urged 'energy gluttons' to take steps to reduce waste by adopting energy- saving measures, such as upgrading to energy saving appliances and installing energy-saving light bulbs.
