http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/articles/i/5536/?cid=3

The UK government yesterday promised a "transformation" in the country's energy use with a new efficiency strategy, which will save as much as the output from 22 power stations by 2020.

The new strategy includes £39 million to support five End Use Energy Demand Centres, funded by Research Councils UK and partner organisations, which will look at business and household energy use.

Led by the UK's top universities, the centres will look at what drives energy demand and how behaviour can be changed.

Meanwhile, the government is also joining forces with high street retailer John Lewis to introduce a label that shows the estimated running cost of an appliance over its lifetime.

A trial of a similar initiative in Norway showed that the label encouraged purchasers to invest in more energy efficient appliances.

And the final part of the initiative is a national rollout of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's RE:FIT programme, which helps public sector organisations cut energy use.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker says the strategy is putting energy efficiency "at the heart" of the government's energy policy.

"Using energy more wisely is absolutely vital in a world of increased pressure on resources and rising prices," he said in a statement yesterday. "Not only can energy efficiency help save money on bills and cut emissions, it can support green jobs, innovation and enterprise."

The government estimates that the UK's energy efficiency sector already supports some 136,000 jobs and now accounts for around £17.6 billion in sales, up by over 4% a year over the last four years.

Over the next four years, the sector could grow by over 5% a year, says the government, while saving some 196 TWh by 2020.