It is not just about money when it comes to educating our children on saving the electricity bills at home. It is also conserving energy and saving the environment.
In the modern world in which our children are growing up, we are increasingly reliant on more electronic and mobile devices. Thus, teaching them how to save electricity is an important life lesson.
Not only can you cut back on the bills that you have to pay, your household will be more eco-friendly too! Read on to find out how you can teach your children to save on electricity bills at home.
Help Them Understand the Calculation of an Electricity Bill
In order for our children to take part in cutting down the electricity bill, they need to know how to read the electricity bill. Looking at the sample of electricity bill above, here are some of the details that you can tell your children:
- Section 1: This is where you’ll find your 12-digit account number, contract number, deposit amount and invoice number.
- Section 2: This is where you’ll find out whether your have paid the bill from the previous month or not. Click here to have a look at a bill where you have outstanding charges from the previous month.
- Section 4: This is where you’ll find your latest amount and due date for payment – within 30 days from your billing date.
To understand how the charges on electricity used are calculated, our children need to understand the tariff rates for residential areas. [This is closely related to sections 6, 7, 8 and 9 in an electricity bill]
Here’s the latest tariff rates as shown in the TNB official portal:
Referring to the tariff rates chart above and any electricity bill available at home, you can then calculate with your children.
For instance, we have a monthly electricity usage of 350 kWh. So this is how we are going to calculate:
- The first 200kWh will be multiplied with RM 0.218 per kWh [200 x RM 0.218 = RM 43.60];
- The next 100kWh will be multiplied with RM 0.334 per kWh [100 x RM 0.334 = RM 33.40];
- The last 50kWh will be multiplied with RM 0.516 per kWh [50 x RM 0.516 = RM 25.80].
Therefore, the total of the electricity bill [excluding the tax] would be RM 102.80 [RM 43.60 + RM 33.40 + RM 25.80].
With that, you can then discuss with your children on cutting down the usage of electricity by setting a goal. You can start small by bringing down 50kWh for the first month.
Related: Learn more details about the calculation of an electricity bill here.
Educate Them on Understanding the Energy Efficiency Label
After understanding how the charges on electricity used are calculated, you can also introduce the energy efficiency label to your children.
You can find this energy efficiency label on electrical appliances such as televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines.
Now, why does the electricity efficiency label matter?
The label shows you the estimated energy usage of an electrical appliance based on the the star rating system. While 1 star means the least efficient, 5 star means the most efficient.
By getting a 5-star electrical appliance, you will be able to save up on electricity. It uses less electricity to achieve the same level of performance to similar models with the same size of capacity.
You can even estimate how much electricity (kWh) the appliance consumes in a year by reading the electricity efficiency label.
For your children to grasp the concept of the electricity efficiency label better, simply go to the nearest electrical appliances store. Get them to identify which electrical appliances come with the label and ask them to calculate the differences of electricity used in both models.
Then, get them to calculate the differences in how much they need to pay for electricity in both models. With that, they will be able to understand that appliances with high star rating do not only save a lot of energy, they also help to save money in the long run.
Here’s an online energy calculator to help both you and your children in calculating the electricity used at home.
Take Shorter Showers
As your children enjoy their hot shower in the bathroom by having a personal singing concert, they might not be aware that they are wasting energy. This is not only about wasting water, they are also wasting electricity.
Here’s why.
In order to heat the water and maintain the temperature, a great deal of of energy is needed. Therefore, spending lesser time in the shower and using it at a lower temperature can help in saving the electricity bills.
In trying to get your children to reduce their shower time, you can make it fun by setting a timer and tell them the clock is ticking. Of course, you need to make sure that they do not compromise on hygiene for speed!
Make It a Rewarding Experience
For most children, saving on the electricity bills at home may not feel very inspiring or fun. Thus, it is on us as parents to help make the energy saving experiences rewarding and enjoyable for them.
If you have younger children at home, you may try out a treasure hunt game. Simply get them to locate things that use electricity at home. Then, ask them to point out which gadgets and appliances they can turn off every day. You can ask another follow-up question where you get them to guess on how much money they could save by saving the electricity.
On top of this, you can reward your children too once they have achieved the target of saving on the electricity bills. In the long run, turning off gadgets and appliances (inclusive of its plug points) and saving electricity will become a normal part of their daily routine.
Participate in the Earth Hour Movement At Home
Whenever we talk about Earth Hour, it’s always about the light-out event. However, it is about more than just switching off the lights.
It is also calling everyone to pay attention to tackle climate crisis and protecting nature.
As the Earth Hour event is held every year at 8:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, let’s all take part in this event tomorrow night with our families.
Simply turn off lights in the household and spend quality time playing some board games in the candlelight. Besides, this is also a perfect time to educate your children about the planet and the challenges we face nowadays.
Talk about how the whole family can practice sustainability in your daily life to help the Earth. With that, your children will be able to gain more awareness on how their daily life actions can impact the wellness of nature.
Saving Electricity Bills Is Not Just About Money
By raising the awareness on saving electricity bills among children, we are helping them to improve their quality of life. First, the money saved from paying the bill will add up to afford a little luxury for family occasions.
Next, they would be able to lead a clean and healthy lifestyle in the future by conserving energy now.
If you wish for your upcoming generations to be able to enjoy running water and electricity, start your kids young. They can develop green habits that will benefit them for a lifetime.
For more insightful stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!