Energy efficiency is a hot topic these days because of the environmental impact that we make and because everyone likes to save money. Many people would like to improve the energy efficiency of their home, but how do we go about it? We’ve all heard the sound advice, but let’s be honest a lot of the tips that we’re given, are dare I say it boring. How would it be if we could give you five fun ways for all the family to improve energy efficiency?
1. Get the Kids On Board
OK, so we’re going to get into some fun activities, but we need to have the kids on board, or this isn’t going to work. We can have fun and educate our kids at the same time about energy efficiency. Explain to them what the new regime will be like and all the fun games that will be going on. For each energy efficiency activity why not have a wall chart with stickers and a prize for the most energy efficient family member? Younger kids may not understand the fine nuances of climate change, but they will understand that turning lights off gets stickers, and more stickers equal a prize!
2. Cool Refrigerator Games
We’ve all been there, but kids can be the worst at this, opening the refrigerator and then taking forever to choose what they want to eat or drink. How about explaining that the longer the door is left open, the more cold air escapes and energy is wasted cooling the refrigerator down again. A fun activity is to open the door, take a look and close it quickly. We now have a memory game about what we may want to eat. Kids that choose quickly earn a star or a sticker, procrastinators get no reward.
3. Bathroom Activities
Finding leaky faucets and stopping them dripping is a good way of earning a sticker, but beware of false reports and independent verification is essential. While we’re in the bathroom, who can take the fastest shower or bath? Perhaps your kids have a favorite song that they like to sing; they can wash to the song and rinse off when it ends. Obviously, all play in the bath must be sensible, timings only count for water usage, not jumping in and out of the tub which could be dangerous if your kids get giddy.
4. Switch Happy
All of us are guilty of forgetting to turn off fans or lights when we leave a room. You can encourage good habits by periodically checking your kid’s rooms to ensure that everything is turned off. Rooms that are OK should earn points for the occupiers, of course, this counts for multiple kids if the room is a shared one. Once this has happened a few times you should notice that all fans and lights are miraculously turned off all the time.
5. Personal Electronics
Many kids today have an iPad, Windows or Android tablet, and perhaps other personal electronic devices. Sadly, many of these items are left powered on during the day. Eventually, they will time out and turn off. Encourage good habits by encouraging your kids to put their devices on standby when they are not being used. A good time to do this is at bedtime when a check can be done and points issued accordingly.