MSP Keith Brown last week encouraged Clackmannanshire residents to “Check – Switch – Insulate” following Big Energy Savings Week (BESW) – a national campaign to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that the average home in the UK wasted £280 last year, simply by not being energy efficient.

The key messages to consumers is Check – Switch – Insulate Check by contacting your energy supplier to check you are on the best tariff and payment method for your circumstances.

Switch by visiting an accredited switching website to see if you could get your energy cheaper elsewhere.

Insulate if you’re worried about how much money you’re spending to heat and light your home, or just want to spend less, there are some simple steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient.

Most suppliers are giving away free or discounted insulation and other energy efficiency measures so ask if you’re eligible.

Keith said, “Up to £20billion in benefits went unclaimed in the UK in 2011 – That’s enough money to pay the fuel bills of nearly sixteen million homes.

“So I would advise people to make sure they are getting all the benefits they are entitled to.

“It could also be worth changing supplier as many people stay on the same tariff or with the same energy supplier for years, without realising they could be getting a better deal elsewhere. They could be saving up to £200 a year, particularly if they have never switched before.” In other news, the MSP has welcomed news that dotSCOT web project will be ready this summer.

This summer people and organisations in Scotland, and in the wider Scots diaspora, will have the opportunity to buy dotSCOT web addresses, for both website and email addresses, for the first time.

It is understood that the new domain could be on general sale in time for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Dot Scot Registry (DSR), a Glasgow-based not-for-profit company, has agreed terms with the international regulatory authority, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to operate the new dotSCOT internet domain.

It had previously been anticipated that ICANN’s processes would mean that the new domain would not be available until early 2015.

Keith added, “The dotSCOT domain has been long overdue and I am therefore delighted that it will become available this summer.

“This will allow Scots, and those who take an interest in Scotland to have the opportunity to buy dotSCOT addresses for both websites and e-mail addresses for the first time.

“There are Scots living and working all over the world, having dotSCOT as their domain of choice will allow them to clearly identify themselves with Scotland.”