| Welcome to MidAmerican Energy's e-SMARTnews! |
| We’re here to bring you valuable energy efficiency tips for both home and classroom, so you can help make students more aware of the many energy-saving actions they can take in their lives. |
| As the days get shorter and the temperatures grow colder, saving energy becomes more important for your students and their families. Our e-SMARTnews supports you in this effort. You will find energy-education tips that complement MidAmerican Energy's e-SMARTkids website. We hope you enjoy this free service and will share the energy information with your class and your colleagues. To order FREE booklets on energy efficiency in the environment, go to the MidAmerican e-SMARTkids website. Here you can view, download and print a variety of educational resources. |
| In This Issue |
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Vocabulary Booster
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| Exploring these basic energy terms will help your students understand the concepts in this newsletter. |
| Energy is the ability to change or move matter. Energy efficiency means changing or moving the most matter using the least amount of energy. Practically applied, energy efficiency means using less energy while getting more service from your appliances and equipment. You can do this by using energy-efficient products like LED (light-emitting diode) light bulbs, ENERGY STAR® appliances, and energy-efficient showerheads, which gives you a comfortable shower while using less hot water. (Remember, it takes energy to heat water.) |
| Conservation, from the word “conserve,” means using less—or saving—energy. Turning out lights, and putting lids on pots and pans while cooking are examples of energy conservation. Here are some other tips to help students and their families conserve energy at home: |
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Turn off lights and unplug electronics when you are not using them. |
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Wash full loads of laundry and dishes. |
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Use a clothesline or drying rack instead of a dryer. |
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Make sure doors and windows are closed on cold days. |
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Set your thermostat to 68° or less in cold months and 78° or higher when it’s hot. |
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Open refrigerator doors only when needed, and close firmly when finished. |
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Take shorter showers (try for 5 minutes), instead of baths. |
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Use your own reusable bags to shop. |
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Buy locally grown foods to reduce energy used on transporting them from other locations. |
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Spotlight on Osage, Iowa
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| The cost of energy used in the U.S. is about $3900 per person per year, not counting the costs of growing and cooking the food we eat. Most of that energy cost is hidden in the price of goods and services we buy, so we don’t even notice that we’re paying for it. But certainly we do know about our monthly energy bills, which often spike if we crank the heat or the A/C in cold or hot weather or keep lots of lights on in the darker months. |
| Students may enjoy hearing that a few years back, the town of Osage, Iowa (population 3,563), faced with the high cost of generating more electricity, opted to invest in energy-efficient equipment and conservation programs. The investment paid off. Town members reduced energy use by 27%, saving $1 million a year in energy costs. That’s $250 per person! |
Get Energy-SMART with the ENERGY STAR®
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| One way to save both energy and money is to invest in efficient technology. Most newer appliances are designed to run super efficiently, meaning they use less energy to do the same job as older appliances. These appliances have an ENERGY STAR label. Point out to students that if one of their light bulbs burns out, or their appliances break, replacing it with ENERGY STAR rated products will help their families save energy and money. |
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ENERGY STAR LED light bulbs use up to 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. If you live in Iowa or Illinois, you may qualify for ENERGY STAR light bulbs in a free energy efficiency kit when you complete the HomeCheck Online assessment. |
Saving Energy Helps the Environment
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The great thing about saving energy is that it not only saves money, it also helps conserve the earth’s precious energy resources and keeps the environment cleaner. When we save energy, we reduce the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Since the earth’s supply of fossil fuels is limited, once we use them up, they will be gone forever. When we save energy we reduce pollution, too. Burning fossil fuels to heat our homes and to power our cars releases pollutants into the air. So, the less fuels burned, the cleaner the air. |
Holiday Tips: Bring Energy Savings to the Kitchen
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For many families, cooking is a favorite holiday pastime. Have your students share these tips with their families for super energy savings during the holidays—and throughout every season. |
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Refrain from opening the oven door to check for doneness when possible – each time it’s opened increases energy use. |
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Choose the right-sized pots and pans for stovetop burners. (The diameter of the base shouldn’t exceed the burner size). Putting a six-inch pan on an eight-inch burner wastes more than 40% of the burner’s heat. |
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Once a liquid starts to boil, such as for cooking pasta, lower the burner temperature and let it simmer. A high boil doesn’t cook food any faster than a slow boil. |
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Reduce cooking time and heat loss by using pans with straight sides and flat bottoms. |
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Skip the oven preheat step for baking casseroles. Or, keep it to just 10 minutes. |
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For cleanup, scrape food scraps from dishes instead of rinsing (this saves both energy and water). Run dishwashers with full loads. |
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Special Features and Activities
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You can help students put energy-saving practices into action through activities on MidAmerican's e-SMARTkids website. These features target a range of grade levels and involve parents and caregivers at home. |
Home Energy Use Inspection
Here is a printable checklist for students to take home to do with their families. They can then ensure that their household is doing as much as possible to save energy.
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Ask an Expert
This interactive feature allows students to submit their questions about energy and energy efficiency and get answers back online. There are already many interesting questions and answers for students to explore on this page, such as "What are some ways heat is lost in the house?" and "Why does it matter if we unplug some of our small appliances when they are not in use?" Click here to find out the answers!
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Activity Pages
Geared for grades K-2, these activities include a puzzle and two types of cards, Energy Tip Cards and Savers and Wasters, which students can color and post at home to remind them and their families of simple ways to save energy. |
| View, order, download or print a variety of educational resources at MidAmericanEnergy.com/esmart |
| Teachers and administrators may use this site to order COMPLIMENTARY booklets for their students. |
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