Energy saving tips to share with your family
- Turn off lights and appliances when you leave a room.
- Replace ordinary incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs).
- Use room air conditioners only when you are at home.
- Use the microwave or toaster oven instead of the big oven whenever possible.
- Turn off the oven right after food is cooked.
- Close curtains and blinds to keep out the sun on hot days. Open them up in winter to add warmth.
Easy ways to conserve water
- Take 5 minute showers. Get wet. Turn off the water and lather up. Then rinse off. Save more than 5-10 gallons of water a day!
- Catch some of the shower water in a bucket to flush the toilet. If you are waiting for the water to warm up, catch it in a bucket to flush the toilet or water house plants. Save more than 1-2 gallons!
- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Save 4-10 gallons a day!
- Make it a full load. Only run the washing machine or dishwasher when full. You can save energy too by drying the clothes on a clothes line!
- Make sure your parents check faucets and pipes for leaks. A small leak can waste 20 gallons a day!
- Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge. Running water and waiting until it cools down is wasteful.
- Water plants when it’s cooler. Watering in the early morning is best.
Stay safe
Electricity makes wonderful things possible. Electricity keeps us warm in winter, cool in summer, cooks our food, heats our water, cleans our clothes, and powers our TVs, radios, video games, and computers. Electricity is also powerful so we must be careful when using it. Below are some tips on electrical safety:
- Never touch broken electrical cords or ones that have wire showing.
- Never stick your finger or any object into light sockets or electrical outlets.
- Do not pull on cords to unplug them. Hold on to the plug instead.
- Do not touch anything electrical while you are wet or standing in water.
- Stay far away from fallen power lines.
- Never fly kites or balloons near power lines – electricity can travel down kite strings or wires.
- Do not climb power poles or trees close to power lines.
- Do not touch or go near electrical equipment.
- Stay away from pad-mounted transformers – those are the metal cabinets on concrete pads that contain electrical equipment.
Visit these websites for more energy tips for kids:
Kids Korner
WPPI Energy
ENERGY STAR Kids
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
KIDS Saving Energy
U.S. Department of Energy; Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
energy KIDS
U.S. Department of Energy; Energy Information Administration
Energy Explained
U.S. Department of Energy; Energy Information Administration
For Students and Kids
U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Quest
California Energy Commission
TVA Kids
Tennessee Valley Authority
Environmental Kids Club
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Student Center
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water for Kids
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water
WaterSense Kids
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water Conservation for Kids
Water – Use it Wisely
DCWASA for Kids
DC Water and Sewer Authority
