Electricity is expensive. This is a concept your teen probably doesn’t understand very well, along with the fact that money must be earned and doesn't grow on trees. Helping him to understand the importance of resource conservation and to cut down on his electricity use is a daunting task, but it's not impossible. With the right approach, you can reduce your teenager's carbon footprint quite a bit.
Determine Your Teens' Usage
The first step you should take is to figure out how much is used by your teen and how much by other members of your family. Wasteful habits he’s developed over long periods of time can be the biggest issues. Still, don’t be too harsh with him if you use a large portion of electricity, too. If your teen is the electricity hog of the family, however, there are some actions you can take. Your teen will probably protest against any suggestion you make, but it's important to stand your ground. Make your teen aware of the expenses that go into his everyday habits, and the impact wasteful resource use has on the environment.
Just Talk
It could be as easy as talking with your teen about how much electricity costs, and how much she is using. Your teen may be more in tune with what you say than you expect, especially since conservation awareness is such a hot topic. She may even have some ideas on how the whole family can save electricity. Simply bringing the issue to light will make your teen aware of how her habits affect others.
Limit TV Use
Is your teen watching hours of television a day or playing video games into the night? As a parent, it’s your responsibility to create and maintain rules in your home. One rule that will prevent your electricity bill from reaching outrageous levels is to limit how long the television is on in your household. Limit your teen to one hour a day, and notice the dollars falling off your bill. It will help if you limit your own watching screen time, also. It makes a stronger statement if you follow rules that you set for your teen.
Shut Off the WiFi
If you turn off your WiFi after a certain hour, this will limit what your teen can do on her laptop or tablet. Chances are, these devices are disrupting your teen’s sleeping patterns anyway. She is probably staying up far too late, chatting with friends, scrolling through her newsfeed on Facebook and reading endless emails. While she may not have a “bedtime” anymore, she should still be getting the proper amount of sleep. If you put your WiFi on a sleep timer, it won't be available past a certain hour. This will also teach your teen to prioritize, and to spend her time wisely.
Change Old Habits
As the saying goes, “old habits die hard.” But sometimes, change is necessary. If your teen is leaving the lights on in his room or leaving the TV on when he’s not actually watching, now is the time to try to break him of those electricity-draining habits. It may take some time, but be diligent and he will be saving electricity before you know it. You shouldn’t have to follow him around the house switching things off, but in the beginning, be sure to follow up with him to make sure things are being turned off when they're not in use. Turning off the computer every night and only keeping phones and laptops plugged in until they are charged will save electricity.
Charge Them for Their Electricity Use
If all else fails, you could always resort to charging your teen for the electricity that she uses. It will be a valuable lesson for your teen on multiple levels. It will teach her responsibility toward her electricity use, and also how to manage money. Once she moves out, she will need to know how to pay bills and keep up with it, so instituting a policy of charging her for excessive electricity will get her on the right path. When she does show a change in her habits and makes a concerted effort to limit her electricity use, cut down on how much you charge her or reward her by eliminating the charge altogether.
You and your teen can work together to lower your electricity bill. Before you know it, your bill will go down, and you’ll be saving money as you do your part to limit excessive energy use.
Resources:
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-More-Green-As-a-Teenager
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/05/unplug-6-gadgets-lower-el...
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