Indeed he claimed that his various energy-saving measures would actually cut bills over time.

BBC: News - Conservative conference: chancellor's credit-easing plan

As a result of a variety of investments made under the Recovery Act, including state and local energy grants, we're on pace to upgrade the homes of half a million Americans by this time next year -- half a million Americans: boosting the economy, saving money and energy, creating clean energy jobs that can't be outsourced.

WHITEHOUSE: Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency and New Jobs

The researchers have found that this kind of energy-taxing "idle listening" is occurring during a large portion of the time phones spend in power-saving mode---as much as 80 percent on busy networks.

ENGADGET: New 'subconscious mode' could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id