UK conservative would ban stand-by modes

David Cameron energy-efficiency proposals urge energy-saving appliances by default, recycling incentives, standby power cuts, duplex printing, neighbor usage transparency, and tariff comparison on bills to drive lower consumption and greener manufacturing.

New televisions would be sold without stand-by buttons under Conservative moves to launch a "green consumer revolution" in government.

David Cameron also called for washing machines to have energy-saving programs as their standard setting and for families to be given cash incentives and price signals to boost their recycling rates.

The Tory leader announced he was setting up talks with industry chiefs to ensure all electrical products sold in the UK were energy-efficient, and to consider tax cuts for efficient appliances to encourage uptake. It could also lead to printers being set up to use both sides of paper automatically.

Mr Cameron wants to persuade manufacturers and importers to make electrical goods "greener" but aides said he was not ruling out legislation.

He told a conference in London: "This country emits an astonishing 800,000 tonnes of carbon a year through leaving electrical appliances ticking over, or on standby, when they are not being used. That is completely unsustainable, as well as a colossal waste of money... it is time industry manufactured products that automatically economize on their energy use."

Consumers had to be given "carrots not sticks" to persuade them to live greener lifestyles, with examples such as the Ontario conservation plan illustrating how incentives can work.

He also said he wanted to introduce U.S.-style schemes enabling householders to see how much gas and electricity their neighbours were using, which he said would drive down energy consumption. A Tory government would also seek to force energy companies, under regulator pressure, to inform consumers on their bills how much money they might have saved by using the cheapest tariff available.

Labour sources claimed that Tory hostility to co-operation at EU level, even as EU electricity bills are projected to rise in some analyses, would undermine their attempts to persuade manufacturers to make products more energy efficient.

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