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Face the truth:<\/p>\nFace the truth:<\/p>\n
If energy savings doesn\u2019t already excite your family members, you\u2019re probably facing a major uphill battle.<\/p>\n
The problem isn\u2019t that they don\u2019t recognize its importance. The challenge is that they don\u2019t see how saving energy immediately benefits them now.<\/p>\n
For example, if you cut your air conditioning use and save another $50 this month, why should they care?<\/p>\n
Yes. It saves the planet. And yes, your family has another $50. But how does each member of your family directly benefit?<\/p>\n
So, therein lies the rub.<\/p>\n
You can more than likely get your family excited about saving energy. And here\u2019s what to do and what to avoid:<\/p>\n
1. First, What Not to Do <\/strong><\/p>\n Default human behavior usually goes to setting up punishments for not meeting expectations.<\/p>\n For example, if you don\u2019t save another $50 on your electric bill by the end of the month, then we don\u2019t go out for ice cream (or whatever it is).<\/p>\n Don\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll only make your family hate energy savings and turn it into drudgery.<\/p>\n 2. Ask Your Family for Feedback <\/strong><\/p>\n To give yourself the best chance to succeed, have a family meeting and ask them what would motivate them to save energy.<\/p>\n Give them ideas of rewards they might choose for meeting certain goals. Then, let them talk about the rewards they want to get.<\/p>\n When they have what they want as a possible reward, that will motivate more conscious thinking and active participation in saving energy.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s a dinner, a treat, a family movie night…whatever. All that matters is that it\u2019s important to your family.<\/p>\n 3. Keep It Fun <\/strong><\/p>\n People participate in things they find fun. People avoid things they don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n So don\u2019t make your focus,\u201dHey! Don\u2019t do that. Yikes! Don\u2019t do this. Ahhh! No more of that!\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, shift your focus from punishing undesirable habits to rewarding desirable ones.<\/p>\n So spend your time praising and complimenting your family members for things they do right.<\/p>\n Catch them in the moment when you see them changing their behavior. And do a recap at the end of the day or week too.<\/p>\n That keeps the focus on fun, success, and change. And that motivates much more effectively.<\/p>\n