Boasting grand properties of the rich and famous, surrounded by expanses of green open spaces, Elmbridge appears an idyllic place to live.

However, this week the borough has been ranked third worst place in the UK for energy efficiency.

Despite numerous council initiatives to improve Elmbridge’s environment and respond to climate change, the average Elmbridge household generates a shocking seven tonnes of CO2 and spends £1,613-a-year on energy costs.

On all its schemes, Elmbridge Council pledges to work with the community to reduce the impact on climate change, yet figures suggested the community was not keeping up their end of the bargain.

Ian Henderson, Friends of The Earth Elmbridge, said: “This level of energy dependency and carbon pollution in Elmbridge is indeed worrying.

"The average household in Elmbridge lives in a larger dwelling than the national average, and of course larger houses cost more to heat, light and power.”

But larger houses are no excuse for inefficient energy use, as proved in Islington where, despite large properties and high population density, the area was ranked as one of the best performing boroughs.

The revealing results come from consumer home energy management company, AlertMe, which recently launched EnergyMap, a new iPhone application that gives energy spends and CO2 emissions, comparing 408 boroughs across the UK.

A spokesman for AlertMe said: “This national Government data is available, but we wanted to make it accessible and useful too.

"By giving people the tools to understand how much energy they are using and what that means in financial terms we aim to help them not just to decrease bills but also to reduce their carbon footprint.”