Energy saving

Age group: any

How long it will take: 2-3 sessions

What materials you will need: None

The aim of the activity: To explore the group's ideas on energy use and energy saving

What to do:
In your group raise the question 'Why bother thinking about saving energy, why is it important?' Ask the group to give honest answers to these questions:

• Do they turn the television off when they have finished watching it? Always? Sometimes? Never?
• Do they turn off lights when they leave the room? Always? Sometimes? Never?
• When it is too hot do you, open the window? Turn down the heating? Wear fewer clothes? Get hot?

Get the group to design a questionnaire on energy saving and take it home and complete it with their family. Ask them to think about how they might you encourage other members of their families to think about saving energy.

Compile the results when they come back the following week and discuss ideas which emerge for energy saving campaigns.

At your group
Think about how comfortable your meeting room is. Is it too hot, cold, draughty, too dark? Why? What could you do to make it more comfortable without using more energy? If it is already comfortable, how could less energy be used but still keep it that way?

Older groups could investigate how they might make your meeting hall/room more energy efficient. Things to consider might include for example:

• Draughts around doors/windows
• Insulation in the roof space
• When the heating is turned on for your meeting and when is it turned off
• If you came up with ideas for improvements, who do you need to contact to get anything changed, and how would you encourage them to do anything?
• What things might also apply to your own home and what things are different?

Advert
Ask the group to imagine that they have been given the job of making a television commercial to encourage people to save energy. They must decide who the commercial is aimed at and what they want people to do as a result of watching it.

Simple messages are easier to get across. Produce a storyboard or a script, or both, then act out the commercial for the rest of the group.

For more information about energy efficiency ring your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012.