The number of UK households in fuel poverty has dropped from 5.5 million in 2009 to 4.75 million in 2010.

The fall was mainly due to rising incomes, relatively stable energy prices at the time and reduced energy consumption, according to the 2012 Annual Report on Fuel Poverty released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Mothers face unexpected side-effects when they work from home, including higher energy bills and having more washing-up to do, according to a new study.

A survey of almost 900 members of parenting group Mumsnet also found that many had problems concentrating on their work.

The Government is considering "tweaking" the start date for the next reduction in solar tariffs, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey has said, insisting there would be no "massive change".

Mr Davey's comments came as shadow energy and climate change secretary Caroline Flint claimed any Government backtracking was due to incompetence over its policies on feed-in tariff (FIT) subsidies.

One in six adults have started growing their own food in the last four years, with the majority saying they have done so to save money, according to a poll.

Nearly a third (31%) of all British adults now grow their own food while 64% of those interested in growing their own say it would be to save money, the study for the City of London found.

Apprenticeships of less than six months provide "no real benefit" to trainees or their employers, a parliamentary report has warned.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee praised the Business Department's drive to boost the number of apprenticeships, which quadrupled from 79,000 in 2006/07 to 325,500 in 2010/11, with the proportion completed successfully rising from 34% to 78% over six years.

More new homes must be built to tackle "the country's burgeoning housing crisis", a new report has said.

The National Housing Federation, homelessness charity Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing have called on the Government to do more after publishing their second Housing Report which finds it is failing in five out of 10 key issues.

David Cameron has issued a call for action from eurozone states and institutions to support weaker economies like Greece or see the single European currency break up.

The Prime Minister said he would do "whatever it takes to keep Britain safe from the storm", but made clear that the UK could not be immune from the consequences of a collapse of the euro.

An underwater turbine destined to form part of a major green energy project is already using tidal power to produce electricity for homes on a remote Scottish island.

The 100ft-long device, which can provide enough energy to meet the electricity needs of 500 homes for a year, has completed its initial testing period.

Lending to first-time buyers surged 74% during March in a rush to beat a deadline for the end of a stamp duty concession, figures have shown.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said 24,000 loans worth a combined £3 billion were taken out by borrowers new to the market.

Archive films are being used to help people with dementia and other memory disorders in a new project.

Films housed at the Yorkshire Film Archive (YFA) have been carefully selected for the "Memory Bank" initiative in collaboration with experts from Age UK, the Alzheimer's Society and Methodist Homes for the Aged.