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| Saving energy isn’t just smart. It can be fun, too. |
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Welcome to MidAmerican Energy's e‑SMARTnews!
As an educator, you play an important role in helping children acquire energy‑saving habits and an energy‑efficiency mindset from an early age. To assist you in this, here are some energy education tips that complement
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What is Energy, and How Do We Use It?
Energy has become a major topic in recent years, and it is vital that students become aware of its importance. Today’s youth will be tomorrow’s energy activists! To demystify the topic of energy before sharing ways to use it more efficiently, it’s helpful to give your students a good understanding of the forms of energy and how energy serves us.
In simplest terms, energy is the ability to do work. Here are some forms of energy students may recognize:
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For more on this topic that you can share with your students in booklet form, you can order our free Energy Efficiency World™ booklet.
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The Energy Efficiency Mindset
It’s critical to get student “buy-in” on adopting energy‑saving behaviors and technologies. Doing so saves money, and helps conserve and protect precious natural resources and our environment. Our non‑renewable energy sources (coal, oil and natural gas) are limited, and we all need to play our part in ensuring these precious natural resources last longer.
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Be an Energy-Saver!
This fall, whether summer heat lingers or the autumn chill sets in, a great way to lean into energy efficiency is with practices that help reduce the use of heating and cooling. And as the days grow shorter, applying the latest lighting technology saves energy too. Here are some tips that students can take home to their parents, or perhaps apply at school.
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Let It Shine–Open curtains or blinds on south‑facing windows to allow the sun to naturally heat the room.
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Seal those Leaks–Apply a heavy‑duty clear plastic sheet or tape over gaps at window frame edges to stop hot or cold air from sneaking in on days with extreme outdoor temperatures.
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Cover It Up–Use insulating blinds or drapes to block hot or cold air from penetrating glass windows.
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Keep It Low
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Set the thermostat for as low as is comfortable–ideally 68°F in cold weather, 78°F in warm.
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When asleep or leaving home, turn off or turn down heat or cooling.
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If using a heat pump, use a moderate setting or a programmable heat pump thermostat.
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Keep water heater temperature at warm (120°F).
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Blow It Around–Ceiling fans have been shown to make indoor air temperatures feel cooler by as much as 4°F, reducing the need for A/C. Using stand‑up or tabletop fans is the next best thing. Make sure to turn all fans off when leaving a room.
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Save With Lighting
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Replacing a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a comparable ENERGY STAR® LED can save a family about $55 in electricity over the bulb’s lifetime.
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Whatever type of bulbs you use, always turn lights out when leaving the room.
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At holiday time, decorate with LED lights, and shop for ENERGY STAR® certified light strings.
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Plant Wisely–Planting deciduous trees on the south‑facing side of a home, especially in proximity to windows, will allow light and warmth in the windows during fall and winter, and shade the windows in summer.
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Get Charger Smart–Phone chargers consume energy even when phones are fully charged or not plugged into the charger. Only 5% of the power drawn by a phone charger is used to charge the phone; a full 95% is wasted when the charger is left plugged into the wall.
We hope this newsletter inspires you to share with your students the importance of energy efficiency, and of adopting energy‑saving habits in their daily lives. Working together, we can create a greener environment for ourselves and for future generations.
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