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What can you do?
 Switch off the lights- Turn down your thermostat
- Plug out after use
- Turn off your TV and computer
- Keep doors closed
- Close the curtains at night time
- Walk, cycle, take the bus or carpool
- Don't leave the tap running
- Switch off the immersion
- Take a shower rather than a bath
- Sort your rubbish - Recycle/Reuse
- Encourage others
Switch off the lights
Turn the lights off when leaving a room. Don't every light in the house
switched on when you are just using one room. Don't turn on all the lights in a room when you just need one on. When leaving the classroom switch off the lights. Make a sign for the light switch in your classroom to ensure the lights are off when the room is
empty. And don't forget to switch off your lights for Earth Hour from 8:30
pm to 9:30 pm on Saturday, the 26th of March 2011.
Turn down your thermostat
Turn down the thermostat. Lowering your thermostat by just 1°C will knock 10% off your heating bill.
Plug out after use
Plug out applicances when not in use. Some
applicances still consume electricty when they are not in use. Unplug your mobile phone when it is fully charged. Don't leave it sitting in the charger all the time.
Turn off your TV and computer
A television in standby mode can use up to as much as half the electricity as when it is switched on, so turn off the power when not in use. Turning your computer off at night can save up to 25% of its annual energy bill. Set your computer to "energy saving" mode so that it will automatically change to low energy mode. Switching off the screen can save even more than just letting the screen saver run.
Keep doors and windows closed
Close the doors and windows when the heating is switched on. Open doors and windows result in heat loss and cause rooms to feel drafty and uncomfortable.
Close the curtains at night time
Close the curtains - A lot of heat escapes through the windows, so close the curtains at night even when the room is empty. Open them in the morning to allow the sun to heat the room. Open the blinds in your classroom to use sunlight to heat and light up the room. Don't let the curtains hang over the radiators as that will just funnel the heat out the window.
 Walk, cycle, take the bus or carpool
Cars waste lots of energy. Walk or cycle if it is safe to do so. If not then try and take the bus or organise a carpool when going to school.
Don't leave the tap running
Don't leave the tap running, especially the hot tap. Clean water is precious. Lots of energy is used to clean it and pump it to your tap. Check around the school that there are no taps left on. Tell your
teacher if you see a tap that is leaking. Use water sparingly.
Switch off the immersion
Don't leave your immersion heater switched on. The water does not need to be scalding to wash.
Take a shower rather than a bath
Take a shower rather than a bath. A typical shower uses only one fifth of the energy of a full bath.
Sort your rubbish - Separate, Recycle, Reuse
Don't dump all your rubbish in the one bin. Separate rubbish into Recyclable, Nonrecyclable, Re-useable Packaging, Biodegradable (can be used as compost in the garden). Check where paper, glass, cans and cardboard
can be brought in your area for recycling and encourage your parents to use them. Can you reuse the bottle in your lunchbox? Can you reduce the packaging used in your lunchbox?
Encourage others
Encourage your friends and family to save energy. We all need to work together if we are to reduce global warming and stop climate change.
What can you ask your parents do?
- Make sure that the attic is insulated. Warm air rises so lots of heat escapes through the attic.
- Replace ordinary bulbs with CFL bulbs. CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) bulbs use a fraction of the electricity and last up to 10 times longer than ordinary light-bulbs
- Don't fill the kettle to make just one cup of tea. Just heat as much water as you need (but make sure the heating elements of electric kettles are covered!)
- Make sure the washing machine and dishwashers are full. Why waste the water and electicty on two loads when they could have been washed in one load. Use the lowest water temerature required for the items being washed.
- When shopping chose items that have less packaging
- Plant trees. Trees use carbon dioxide and can also provide shelter for your house in winter.
- Put lids on pots and turn down the heat when the water starts to boil. The lids keep the pot hot and reduce condensations in the kitchen.
- A microwave is more efficient than a cooker for reheating food. Ovens are expensive to use - try to use it as sparingly and efficiently as possible. Do not open the oven door to check cooking - every time you do so you lose 20% of the accumulated heat.
- The toaster is more energy efficient than the grill for toasting bread.
- Dry clothes on a clothes line out of doors whenever possible.
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