Energy Investigator
A whopping 22% of carbon emissions in the UK come from heating and powering our homes. So we have lots of power to make a difference when it comes to energy. Energy can be hard to imagine because we can’t actually see it, but there are quite a few things we can do to reduce how much of this resource we use.
After some bright ideas to help the planet? Switch it up with these…
You’ve heard of shorter showers, but what about cooler showers? A huge amount of the energy needed for a shower is actually used to heat up the water, so dialing down the temperature – even just a smidge – will help. Cool showers can actually be really refreshing and even produce feel-good endorphins and boost your circulation, so double down with a quick, cold shower…if you dare!
Easy peasy, switch off breezy. This is a simple one! Remember to switch things off when they’re not in use like lights, chargers, tablets, gaming consoles and devices that are usually left on standby. Standby still uses energy so it’s best to switch things off completely. And, for a double whammy, flick the switch at the wall too. Little savings are still savings!
Have a lightbulb moment. Take a peek at the light bulbs in your house (once they’re turned off and have cooled down). Can you spot if they are LED? It might say it on the bulb or, if the watts are under 10 it’s very likely to be LED. This is great because LED bulbs use way less energy than other types. Could you challenge your parents to LED-ify all the lights in your house and help them swap the bulbs over?
Make a DIY radiator reflector. What’s that now? A radiator reflector is a clever thing you can pop behind your radiator to reflect heat back into your home that would otherwise be absorbed and lost through the walls. All you need is some cardboard, tinfoil, tape and scissors. Here’s a video (featuring a very good dog) to help. You only need to do this on walls facing outside, rather than those next to other rooms in the house.
Investigation time. Ok, so what exactly *are* fossil fuels? And how about renewables? All these words can be super confusing, so it’s time to cut the jargon once and for all. Get stuck into our energy-related explainers and come away feeling like a pro with the power to make real changes.
– What on earth is renewable energy?
– What does ‘biodiversity’ mean?
– How can one person make a difference?
Power to the people. There’s a lot to know about energy but by learning more we can make better decisions and convince other people to take action, too. Where to start? Well, how much energy does it take to power the world, exactly? If you’re not already doing so, follow inspiring environmental organisations and science heroes (like Protect our Future) on social media. There’s so much cool stuff out there to discover, like these amazing wind turbines that look like flowers.
Sources of all Power. Do you know what energy your home runs on ? Ask your parents – if it isn’t running on renewables at the moment, could you have a conversation with them about switching? Renewable packages are often cheaper than fossil fuels, so you could help them save money on bills over the year. Win!
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