A leading environmentalist says that wasting energy is an "antisocial act" that should be viewed in the same way as drink-driving.
Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said there is a "rump of people" who will not take action in their homes to help prevent climate change.
But he said that a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in Scotland came from buildings, and called on ministers to penalise those who waste energy.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland`s Morning Extra programme Dr Dixon said: "We should be viewing this as an antisocial act to be wasting energy needlessly.
"Even if you can afford it and you think it`s your right to waste energy in any way you like, we should start to think of that as ant-social and the Government should start to crack down on that."
He argued that with all political parties pledging to tackle global warming, and with a Climate Change Bill going through Holyrood, society had stated that the problem must be confronted.
"It is antisocial for people to not take part in that, just as it is antisocial for people to drink drive or to smoke in pubs where smoking is now banned," Dr Dixon said.
"These are antisocial things and I want the same sort of attitude to wasting energy needlessly.
"I`m certainly not talking about the police turning up on your door and carting you away to jail."
He added that the Government should take a "more directive approach".
"There`s actually a rump of people who are quite well off but just can`t be bothered. Saving £180 a year off their energy bill by doing cavity wall insulation doesn't really attract them.
"It`s those kind of people I`d really like to try to get to and say `you`re being antisocial, we're just going to come and do this and we`re going to recover the money from you."
