Energy Conservation – Using Energy Wisely

Introduction:

In this session, we are going to learn about ways of using energy wisely at home and in school.

Explanation:

Energy Conservation at Home:

A few of the ways by which energy can be used wisely at home are:

1. Take a shower instead of a bath
2. Limit electronic usage
3. Turn everything off when you are not in the room
4. Keep windows and blinds closed
5. Plant a tree

1. Take a Shower Instead of a Bath 

Taking a bath can take close to 25 gallons of water for just one wash. Additionally, it takes power and energy to heat the water that is used in both baths and showers.

2. Limit Usage of Electronics 

When electronic devices are used less frequently, they do not require as much charging time. This means that less electricity is being used to power them.  

3. Turn Everything off When You Are Not Using Them

Turning off all the lights and other devices when not in use can help conserve energy.

4. Keep Windows and Blinds Closed 

When the windows stay shut, the heat is kept out of the room, and the air conditioning stays in. Moreover, blinds can block heat from the Sun and keep our homes cooler on warm days.

In colder countries, however, let the Sun in during the daytime and at night, close the blinds.

5. Plant a Tree 

The shade from a tree may let you use less air conditioning than before and conserve energy in your home.

Energy Conservation in School:

A few of the ways by which energy can be used wisely at school are:

1. Ride a bike or walk to school
2. Use both sides of a piece of paper
3. Use a reusable water bottle
4. Recycle
5. Ask your teacher about classroom jobs

1. Ride a Bike or Walk to School 

Driving a car takes a lot of fuel to get to our destination and produces a lot of emissions as well. These emissions are harmful to us and the environment too. By biking or walking to school, we can avoid it.

2. Use Both Sides of a Paper

Producing, disposing of, and wasting paper has a lot of environmental impacts. Just 1 kg of paper requires 324 liters of water to be produced, which is huge. We save water as well as resources while using both sides.

3. Use of Reusable Water Bottles (Avoid One-time-use Plastic)

Plastic bottles take a huge amount of fuel and energy to be manufactured. They also create massive amounts of non-biodegradable waste.

4. Recycle It All

When materials are recycled, they can be used to make new items and can be put to use one more time. This amounts to 30% less energy to be used while making them than if they were produced from scratch.

5. Ask Your Teacher About Classroom Jobs

Some good examples of jobs that help conserve energy at school are ‘The Electrician’ and ‘IT.’ These responsibilities, when taken up, can help all school kids be a part of conserving energy.

Questions and Answers

Question 1: What measures should be taken to mitigate the problem of the energy crisis in our country?

Answer:

To solve the problem of the energy crisis, we should follow an ‘energy conservation approach’ in our daily life.

Turn off lights or appliances when you are not present in the room.

Use energy-superficial appliances less by performing household tasks manually.

The use of renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, biogas, and biofuel, etc., should be promoted. As automobiles are vital consumers of petroleum fuels/oils, an effort should be made to increase the mileage standards of automobiles. Even the generation of energy from non-conventional sources is not very simple and cost-effective. Therefore, all of us should make a sincere effort to save and conserve energy.

Question 2: Why should we save energy?

Answer:

We should save energy because of the following reasons:

1. To save our money:

We buy energy. We have to pay for the energy that we use. Therefore, wasting energy is the same as wasting money. The electricity bill reduces if we use less energy. Hence saving money.

b. To preserve conventional sources of energy:

A considerable portion of energy that we use in our daily life is generated using conventional energy resources, such as coal, petroleum, etc., which are non-renewable in nature. Soon these sources of energy will be over. Thus, we need to conserve them for them to last long and by that time replenishment could also take place.

c. To keep our environment clean:

Less energy usage directly means less pollution due to the usage of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. This means our environment stays clean.