Ways to Teach Your Kids About Responsible Energy Use at Home

The biggest trend in home ownership over the last decade is the steady turn towards energy efficiency. In addition to installing as many high efficiency products in a home as possible, using energy responsibly has also become the norm. However, it can be hard to explain the purpose of responsible energy use to small children in a way that they can understand. Since using energy responsibly is a family activity, you need to be able to explain to your children why you’re doing what you’re doing. Read on to learn some great ways to educate your children about the importance of responsible energy use, and how it’s a commitment for the entire family.

Explain to Them Where Energy Comes From

Before you can explain to your children why your family is working to use your electricity responsibly, it is important that they understand where your energy comes from. Sit your child down with a comprehensive book or website, and lay out for them the complicated process and resources that are responsible for the light coming on every time they flip a switch. Understanding how much labor actually goes into creating energy will make it easier for your child to realize why you need to use it in a responsible manner.

Spend Some Time Without Energy

It’s been said that you can’t truly appreciate something until you live without it, and this is definitely true when it comes to energy. Scheduling some time for your family to spend without energy will help your child to see in abject terms how valuable it is, and why it’s important to engage in energy use responsibly. These voluntary blackouts are guaranteed to give your child—and probably you as well—a new found respect of how convenient, and fragile, your home’s energy truly is, giving your family extra incentive to engage in responsible energy use on a daily basis.

Make a Game Out of Responsible Energy Use

Just because responsible energy use is important, it doesn’t mean that it can’t also be fun. Since it will probably be hard for your kids in the beginning of the endeavor, try making cutting down on your energy use as a game. Make up a scoreboard to keep tally of how much energy your kids are saving, and at the end of the month let whichever child has saved the most energy pick a fun family activity as a reward. Turning responsible energy use into a fun game will help ease your kids into the process and make it more likely to stick in the long term.

Upgrade Your Home to Environmentally Friendly Standards

One of the most rewarding experiences your family can undergo, both financially and personally, is committing to responsible energy use as a team. While there are a lot of ways your family can effectively save energy, one of the best ways is by upgrading your home with energy efficient equipment, and the best company to help you upgrade your home is ServiceWhale. We make the process of installing energy efficient equipment in your home quick and easy by giving you access to our simple service request wizard. Sign up with ServiceWhale today to find out just how much you can save on making your home energy efficient.