How to Get Your Family Fired Up About Energy Savings

How do you motivate your family to get as excited about energy savings as you are?

Well, how do you get water to part so you can walk across on dry ground?

Kidding. But only slightly!

Yes. It’s hard to get others to see things the way you do and to care about what’s so important to you.

Human nature is to first care about what’s most important to yourself. It takes time, learning, and growth to care about things important to others.

But, even though you may be facing a major uphill battle, not all hope is lost.

Here’s what you can do that will give you a greater chance of having your family participate in saving energy:

1. Get Their Opinion

Do you usually make decisions with input from each of your family members? If not, now’s the time to start.

People always participate in projects much more readily when they have a say in how they work.

So, make sure to ask each of your family members,”What would make you excited to save energy?”

You have to construct your approach with your family member’s thoughts at the forefront. Otherwise, if you try to force this on them, they’ll simply do just enough to placate you and keep you off their case.

And before long, they’ll return right back to their old energy-wasting behavior. And then you get into the same old arguments and situations with them, which isn’t fun for anyone.

2. Set the Example Yourself

Nothing ruins the credibility of anything more than not following your own word.

On the other hand, no one’s perfect.

So, make every effort to follow the plan you and your family set up. And if someone catches you breaking a rule, admit you’re wrong and change your behavior.

Whatever system you and your family set up, make sure you’re the best example of it that you can be.

3. Create Visual Goal Charts

This one especially applies for younger kids, who thrive on having a visual representation of the progress toward any goals you set.

It may be good for everyone else in your family too.

It’s harder for any mind to set itself toward achieving an abstract concept.

So when you and your family get together, create a concrete, achievable goal. And make sure you have a chart either somewhere in your home or online where everyone in your family can easily see your progress.

Well, that’s the update for now.

Happy energy savings!