Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg praised Sutton Council's efforts to help homeowners cut their energy bills.

Sutton was the home of two pilot projects intended to cut household bills in the face of rising fuel prices.

The first scheme, a pilot for the Government's Green Deal to be launched in October, saw people planning major building work able to fund energy saving improvements upfront.

Mr Clegg praised an innovation made by Sutton in the scheme, where B&Q offered a loft-clearance service, to save residents the inconvenience of clearing out their lofts before work could begin.

The second project, the Hackbridge Low Carbon Zone, aims to help the area become the UK’s first sustainable suburb.

It saw 160 householders opting to make large changes such as a loft and cavity wall insulation, draught proofing and replacing boilers and white goods.

Three hundred homeowners, almost half of those eligible for the scheme, received a free energy audit to identify where their home was losing energy before installing money saving gadgets.

Councillor Colin Hall, executive member for environment and climate change on Sutton Council, said: "Energy bills make up a significant chunk of most household budgets and as hard-pressed residents continue to feel the pinch, it is more important than ever that we look at what we can do to help people cut energy bills for good.

"Over the past two years, we’ve run two pilot schemes to help us find out how we, as a local authority, can help residents to make long-term changes."