5 Ways that Your Family can turn off the Lights and Save Money

Want to save money on your electric bill? Turn off the lights. Sounds simple — right? The truth is that most households waste hundreds of dollars each year by leaving lights and appliances on when they are not needed. According to the Power Home Remodeling Group, leaving a something as basic as a laser printer plugged in and ready around the clock will waste $120 a year.

If just turning off the printer can save that much, imagine how much money you can save by managing all of your electric appliances and devices more efficiently. The trick for some parents is getting their kids to understand how they can help. Below are five tips to get your family involved and start saving today.

Make It Fun

Kids love games. They provide a series of challenges with accompanying rewards that motivate kids (and adults!) to keep coming back for more. Enlist the help of the whole family to make a complete list of your electric devices and when you use them.

You can save money by using your appliances at different times of the day (especially when it’s cooler outside). Some energy providers offer special credits or discounts for “peak demand” time periods. You can also use an online calculator to help you compute your personal energy consumption once you have current rate information.

With this information, you and your family can see in real dollars how much impact turning off just one light, or a houseful, can have on your budget. Play with the calculator to see if you can save money by changing the time of day that you run the dishwasher, dryer, and air conditioner.

The goal of the game is to be the one that can find the most savings around the house. Don’t forget to add the reward — you can use part of the savings to plan a family vacation, increase allowances or treat the best “player” to something special.

Texting for Dollars

If your family is always in a rush to get out the door in the morning, a daily reminder might help them remember to turn off the lights and electronics. One way to remind kids to turn off the lights in their room as they leave for school or work is to set up automatic texts until they get into the habit. If your kids don’t have cell phones, set an alarm to go off ten minutes before they are scheduled to leave as a reminder for them (and you!).

Take a Number Please

Consistently saving money as a family depends on everyone getting involved. Count the number of lights, outlets, and devices that each person is responsible for every day.

For example, a teenager could have a dozen items in his or her room drawing electricity when not at home. Typical teen rooms have multiple lights, computers, cell phone chargers, guitars or other electronic musical instruments, fans, and alarm clocks – so there’s a lot to manage.

Make a special key tag with the representative number, post a sticky-note by the door, or find another fun way to remind kids to check all of their energy vampires before they leave their room.

Use Power Strips to Defeat Energy Vampires

A recent article in the Mother Earth News recommends that all households start using power strips for electronics. Stand-by consumption from energy vampires can really add up quickly, especially if your family has multiple computers, home entertainment systems, and several cell phones. Plugging your devices into power strips makes it easy to turn off everything at once.

Power strips simply save time and energy. Remember to flip off each power strip when you are not using appliances and devices during the day. Make it part of your nightly routine — lock the doors, brush your teeth, and turn off power strips.

That Will Be Fifty Cents Please

When nothing else works to get your kids to turn off the lights as they leave a room, aim for the wallet. Behavioral psychologists have found that reinforcement, both positive and negative, is the best mechanism to change habits.

Pick a start date: tell kids after this date that, for every time they leave the room for more than fifteen minutes without turning off the lights and/or electronics (television, computer, etc.), there will be a penalty. Place a jar or other container in a prominent place to deposit the penalty fees. Keeping the jar in the open will be a gentle reminder twenty-four hours a day, too.

If you family does not give allowances, you can always choose a non-cash currency. Each infraction could result in less computer time or television time. Choose a currency that is age-appropriate for each family member.

Turn Off the Lights and Start Saving Today

Remember to consider when you use your appliances as well as making an effort to turn off appliances and lights when not in use. According to Bankrate.com, changing the time of day that you wash clothes could lead to almost $400 in annual savings. Some utility companies offer off-peak discounts of 40% or 50%, depending on where you live.

One item that many homeowners overlook is the motion sensor night lights in the hallway. If you have pets, these lights could be coming on and going off all day as your pet roams about waiting for you to come home.

Think of it this way – anything that glows is drawing energy. If your cell phone is plugged in after it is fully charged, it’s still drawing electricity. Below are a few other energy vampires that might be gobbling up your hard-earned money while you are sleeping or away from home.

• External computer speakers
• Televisions
• Cordless phones
• Automatic coffee makers
• Radios

No matter how you choose to get your family involved, today is the best time to start reducing your electricity usage so that you can save money.

Light Switch Image courtesy of Derek Gavey.

7 Inexpensive and Green Outdoor Activities for your Family this Spring

In my opinion, spring is the best time of year, and this is especially true for families. Spring is the season when kids and parents alike can enjoy being outside without melting from the summer heat or being attacked by mosquitoes. Another bonus to spring is that it’s easy to be more energy efficient and save money by doing things outdoors. So, turn off the air conditioner, electronics, and lights, open up a few windows, and get the family enjoying these outdoor activities that are good for the environment and inexpensive for your family to enjoy.

Bike or walk to a park. Ditch the gas-guzzling car, break out the bikes or walking shoes, and head to the nearest park. The park is a free way to enjoy all the great colors of spring, while giving kids something active to do - all while being friendly to your environment. For families with younger kids who aren’t able to ride bikes longer distances, think about using a bike trailer. These can be a bit pricey, so check your local Craigslist to see if you can pick up a used one, or you can borrow one from a friend.

Have an outdoor picnic. Grab the family and head to the nearest park for a family picnic. If there isn’t one in biking or walking distance, then have an outdoor picnic at home.  Make sure that you bring reusable utensils, plates, and napkins, or at least recycle what you do use so that you benefit the environment.

Use public transportation for the day. Choose a day to go green by ditching the car and using public transportation to explore your city. We’d recommend the library, local zoo, a far-away, park, or a museum.

Go camping. Get online to find the nearest campgrounds and camp for the night. Not only will it provide family bonding, you can hone your survival skills. For extra points with being energy efficient, have everyone leave the battery operated electronics at home.

Go without energy for a day. Pick one manageable day with decent weather and don’t use any electricity all day long. It will teach your children a valuable lesson, and you’ll be able to see where you can become more energy efficient and reduce your energy usage so that your family can save money at other times and help the environment.

Have a BBQ. You will lower your energy usage in the kitchen by cooking outside. You can make this activity inexpensive by holding this event with a few friends so that you can combine costs. You can make the BBQ green by cutting down on waste through the use of reusable utensils, plates, and napkins. 

Plant a family garden. Have each member of the family select what they would like to plant in the garden and see how fun it is to watch their seedlings grow. It’s a great teaching tool, plus an affordable alternative to purchasing produce from the grocery stores. Sure, there’s some initial cost to starting a decent garden, but you’ll save money in the long run by growing your own produce, and you’ll be contributing to a greener environment.