The UK is one of the most energy efficient nations in Europe, says a European commission report.

The European Commission report says the UK’s energy use fell by 5% between the year 2000 and 2008.

In comparison, German energy use stayed at the same rate whilst France’s energy use grew by 7%.

The UK is one of Europe's most energy efficient countries.

The report found that in total, there was over a 4% increase in energy usage across the EU’s 27 nations.

Britain also scored highly in “energy intensity” with only Denmark and Ireland managing a greater reduction in energy per GDP than the UK use in those 8 years.

Overall, the EU cut its energy intensity by 10%.

The report is part of the EU’s push for all European nations to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020.

The EU’s message is that the transformation to greater energy efficiency across the continent needs to come sooner rather than later, as oil prices will continue to rise and European nations will keep paying more and more for their electricity and gas.

There are calls for the 20% target to be increased to 30%, with UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne one supporter, stating the EU is already equipped to increase energy efficiency by more than 20%.