Teaching Your Kids To Save Energy (and Money)

Energy conservation is a complex subject, and even people who are committed to saving energy often have completely different justifications; one family might be concerned about climate change, while another just wants to keep energy bills low, whatever your reasons, when the family (especially children) understand the underlying concept, they are often eager to participate. Help them understand what drives your values.

Help your kids understand what Energy is and what it is used for.

Explain that energy is an invisible force. People get energy from food and use it walk and play. Fireplaces use energy to heat the house. Houses get energy from burning things like natural gas and coal, and use it to run the refrigerator, heat the water, and turn on the lights.

Teach them that Energy costs money

Showing kids that energy costs money is key in teaching them to save energy. Wasting energy is similar to wasting food; it is throwing something away without using it.

To become better educated on saving energy, go to the library for age-appropriate books or do a quick search on the internet to help answer any questions you or your children might have. We all know kids ask a lot of questions, so it’s better to do a little research before to make sure you are fully prepared to discuss the topic. Below is a list of websites and articles to help you:

Energy Star Kids

How You Can Save Energy

6 Tips for Raising Energy Smart Kids

Energy Kids

Now that you’ve informed your kids on why it’s good to save energy, you can show them how to save energy in real-life scenarios by implementing new policies at home. Some of these policies could include:

• • Turn off the lights when you leave the room
  • Turn off TV when you’re not watching it
  • Only run the dishwasher and laundry machine when they are full
  • Don’t use hot water when it’s not necessary to do so

To help motivate your children to get involved in this, you can set a reward for them when the policies are being followed and you start saving money on your monthly energy bills.

Saving money and energy can be a family activity which is beneficial to all!