Published: The Daily Telegraph Date: 6 November 2010
The Child family ... Simple changes in electricity use pay off.
Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Cooper Child and his classmates are dubbed "environmental warriors" at school, as their teacher encourages them to take the future of the planet into their own hands
Since the eight-year-old's family signed up for The Sunday Telegraph – Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW (DECCW)'s Save Power Challenge, he has been taking the role even more seriously.
"He makes sure we're recycling and switching things off when we're not using them," says mum Yvonne.
"Cooper has been learning about recycling at school, so it has been a good extension for him to learn about saving power at home. The teacher has been very impressed, too."
According to Yvonne, her other two sons, aged 10 and three, are also getting onboard. "The main thing is they're turning lights off when they're not in the room without me having to remind them any more," she says.
Yvonne's husband, Brendon, has also been making an effort to reduce electricity wastage. "He's happy to do what he can, but he's more interested in the financial side," Yvonne says. "We're waiting for our next bill, but it will be good to see any saving."
Turning off the second fridge was one of the main changes the family made over the course of the Challenge. The fridge was only used on rare occasions, and according to DECCW, fridges and freezers use more power when they're nearly empty than when they're full. In addition, recycling your second fridge can slice $225 a year off your power bill and reduce annual household carbon pollution by more than 1000kg.
Households in Sydney, Wollongong/Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Central Coast or Shellharbour may be eligible for the $35 Fridge Buyback scheme supported by the NSW government's Climate Change Fund and local councils.
The Child family's second television and games consoles, which are only used on weekends, now get switched off when they're not in use too.
In addition, a shower timer has helped the family keep their showers down to four minutes. Yvonne has also reduced the hours her pool filter runs, has stopped using hot water to wash clothes, and uses the clothesline instead of the dryer.
Using a cold, rather than warm wash can shave more than $30 off electricity bills each year, and even more in households that use hot water, according to DECCW. Savings from not using the dryer can amount to $300 over the year.
A power monitor was installed in the family's home as part of the challenge, and Yvonne uses it as a guide towards the big power consumers in the home, and also checks it before going out to ensure everything has been turned off.
"Even something as small as turning the dishwasher off when the cycle is finished makes a difference," she says. "If I didn't have the monitor I wouldn't have been aware of it."