Do you know that energy is one of the most essential parts of our daily life? It’s important because we rely on energy to do almost everything starting from cooking, warming up our houses, washing clothing, watching television, and so forth. Imagine how life would be without energy. I cannot imagine surviving for about a week in a cold winter without any power. That would be a terror! Have you ever wondered where energy comes from? Well, there are different sources of energy, but it is also important to know that we need more than what is available. To justify that just think for a minute; how many power outlets alone do you have in your home?

Do you know how much energy your home consume per day? Or maybe that might not be something you think about a lot. But still for many good reasons we already know and some which I will talk about we need to conserve what is available to us (energy). Conservation means saving or using less energy. When we turn off a light, we’re conserving energy. Energy isn’t free. All the electricity in our house come with a price! Literally! So that means that wasting energy is also wasting money! Wasting energy isn’t good for the environment either! Most of the energy sources we depend on, like coal and natural gas, can’t be replaced – once we use them up, they’re gone forever. Think about the future…In my article today, I want to give you some useful tips and ways to save energy.

  • Shut off the lights when you are done using them, and unplug off the TV, computer, video games and other electrical stuff when you leave the room. Electronics that are plugged in still continue to consume energy! You don’t have to light all the rooms when not needed. You don’t have to be told “..Please turn off the light in your room..”
  • Don’t leave the refrigerator door open. Every time you open the door, up to one-third of the cold air can escape. There is a lot of times when I find myself staring into the fridge for a while looking for something to eat! It hasn’t really occurred to me how much energy is being wasted just as I am standing there searching the fridge!!
  • Replace a burnt-out light bulb with a new compact fluorescent bulb. Fluorescent bulbs use 75 percent less energy, and they last 10 times longer.
  • Remind grown-ups to use cold water in the washing machine. Hot water won’t get the clothes any cleaner, and it wastes a lot of energy. Using a clothes line instead of a dryer helps reduce your electricity costs. If you line dry your clothes just HALF OF THE TIME you can save many dollars in a year.
  • Fix dripping faucets. One drop per second can add up to 165 gallons of hot water a month – that’s more than one person uses in two weeks!
  • Take a short shower instead of a long bath. It might take about 25 gallons of hot water to fill the bathtub, compared to only seven gallons for a quick shower. Trust me I have tried that and proved so. This also may vary depend on the size of your bathtub I guess.

There are also thing you can do concerning your heating and your air conditioning!

  • Adjust the thermostat during the winter. Ask a grown-up to adjust the thermostat by 10 degrees cooler in the winter and 10 degrees warmer in the summer for eight hours a day. If you need to, wear something warm when cold to help!
  • Plant trees. It will help lower the temperature during summer months.
  • Install motion sensor lights. Installing motion sensor lights will allow for the lights to only go on when required saving money and energy.
  • In the summer, keep your curtains closed to block the summer heat out. In the winter, open them on sunny days to take advantage of solar heat.

It doesn’t have to be at home, there are things you could tell your parents to do at work as well.

  • Carpool. If you can, why not do it! It lowers gas pollution, and you can have a bit more chat time with your friends!!
  • Stairs. Do you have an elevator and set of stairs at your work? Well take the stairs instead of the elevator! You’ll be doing your part to save energy while doing some exercise!!
  • Lights. Turn off all unnecessary lights before you leave for the end of the day!!
  • Techno Gear. Unless they are required to stay on, turn off office equipment such as computers, monitors, and such when not in use and during the weekend.
  • Paper use. Many businesses still use a lot of paper unnecessarily, so a lot of energy can be saved if you only print what is required. If you can, you should use recycled paper. Print double-sided whenever possible.
  • Recycle whenever you can. If there is no recycling container in your work building, suggest one.

To conclude, there are many more ways and good reasons to save energy. It’s easy to do and very important for us and for our environment and will also help us save wasted money. Let us be part of the change we want to see and save our planet. This is good for the future too. So please take these ways into consideration and pass these on to others!!!

Key message: Save energy. Start small, one change at a time. Remember each person, each idea, makes a difference!

Venus Wambura

The Environmental friendly