In a UK government commissioned report shows changes in the way that homes have been powered and heated over the past 40 years.
40 years ago most homes did not have central heating, it was common that ice formed on the inside of most windows in a home, central heating was available to a few lucky home-owners, many homes only had a few light-bulbs, an a consrvatory was an alien concept.
The changese wrevealed in the report show that homes today are far different, many homes have 30 light-bulbs, utilize an array of energy-guzzling appliances, computers, laptops, large screen TV's, microwave ovens, fridges, freezers and much more than there were in the 70's, and temperatures in homes are at least 4c warmer.
But, it's possible that because more people in the UK are living alone or in smaller homes than they did 40 years ago, energy consumption is 18% less and the average home pays about £200 less annually.
Gains in carbon efficiency and fuel on the household level have been more than offset by steep rises in the overall fuel consumption compared to 1970.