Wallace and Gromit will be sharing some cracking ideas to help save energy around the home in a series of adverts.

Creator Aardman Animations is no stranger to the field – their Creature Comforts characters were the stars of one of the best-loved TV advertising campaigns for Heat Electric.

Now they are encouraging people to save electricity and gas in conjunction with energy company Npower.

Cheese-mad Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit will appear in a series of leaflets which will be mailed out with Npower bills over the next two years.

The first, pictured, shows Gromit saving energy by using an extendable arm to switch off a TV, rather than leaving it on stand-by.

Television adverts and an online viral marketing campaign are also planned for the near future.

Sean Clarke, head of Aardman Rights, said: "Wallace and Gromit will lend themselves perfectly to dispelling some of the myths around energy efficiency.

"There are many bright little thoughts that can drastically reduce the amount of energy we use without losing those comforts we all take for granted. Our hope is that Wallace and Gromit, with their universal appeal, will inject humour into energy efficiency, encouraging us to take notice of the help and advice that is available, so that we can all play a part in reducing the amount of energy we use."

Aardman is also involved in a television campaign this year, producing a cartoon advert for a £75-million Government obesity campaign.