Summer is just around the corner and with it a big opportunity to get the kids involved in helping make your home more energy efficient. May 15th is International Day of Families and what better way to bring the family together than to get the kids excited about saving energy and helping make your family’s home more green. Below are a few easy ways to get everyone in the family involved with saving energy.
Close The Refrigerator
Kids and adults alike have a tendency to open the refrigerator door just to peruse the goodies hiding inside. Encourage your kids (and parents too for that matter) to think about what they are getting from the fridge prior to opening and to avoid standing there with the door open for an extended period of time. Also, keep snacks and drinks that your kids are more likely to enjoy on a shelf that’s within their reach to make it easier and quicker for them to find what they need.
Turn Off The Lights
Again, this is not just a piece of energy-saving advice for kids–adults need a reminder every so often as well. Teach your children to turn off lights when leaving a room to avoid extra energy usage. In addition, not every light in a room needs to be turned on. Lastly, upgrading your light bulbs to more energy efficient options may help you save money and energy even if one of the kiddos forgets to turn it off when they leave the room.
Spend Time Outdoors
Don’t let your kids spend their day in front of the computer or playing video games. Encouraging them to go outside has numerous benefits including helping save you money in cooling costs and electrical appliances.
Have Power Hours
Set hours throughout the day where you limit electrical usage. Turn off TVs, video games, computers and tablets to encourage more creative play time that doesn’t use any energy. Read books, create crafts or build a blanket fort indoors. However you decide to get creative, communicate how taking these small steps can help conserve energy to make your kids more aware of ways they can make an impact.
