East Margaree Seniors

Students aren’t the only ones benefiting from energy efficiency education! The East Margaree Seniors club invited me to their monthly meeting to talk about the work I do with schools and ways their group could benefit from energy efficiency in their own homes. They were interested in the environmental benefits as well as the money they could save.

They tried their hand at the energy meter line up game. It’s a game where they have to guess how many Watts different items such as Christmas light strings use. They were as surprised as students are to learn that the old incandescent holiday lights used 170W compared to a strand of LEDs that uses just 2W. One woman shared that she saves nearly $100 on her power bill over the holidays since switching to LED string lights.  This is a significant amount that most people are unaware of.

We discussed the different programs offered through Efficiency Nova Scotia. We read through the list of 11 Tips to Help You Save on Your Winter Heating Bill. Most of the folks in the group were quite familiar with the list. After all, they grew up in a time when preventing heat loss, setting ceiling fans to rotate clockwise and wearing warm socks and sweaters at home were common actions people took in the winter. However, they were curious to hear about the new programmable thermostats that they can control from their smartphones, and the smart power bars that prevent phantom power.

Together, we had a fabulous afternoon of tea and good discussion.

~Shandel Brown

Engagement Officer, Cape Breton