You press the switch, and the light turns on. You plug in your phone, and it starts to get charged. You flip a button, and the fan begins to run. For us, this is normal. It happens every day, so we don’t give much thought to energy, which is behind all of this. Only when the power goes off do we realise how much we depend on it. The fan stops, it begins to sweat, your work gets interrupted, and suddenly everything feels stuck. 

We use energy all the time, but have you ever wondered where it comes from or what it takes to bring it to us? 

We do not know how far that electricity travelled and how much energy got lost along the way. We do not know what fuel was burned or what resources were used to regenerate the power. Since we don’t see it being made or moved, it feels like it just exists, and so we do not pay much attention to it. Maybe that’s the reason for us to be lethargic about leaving the lights on in an empty room, using appliances longer than needed, or depending on machines for things that could be managed in simpler ways. 

What if energy is not distant and is being made right where you live?

Sunlight is falling on the building’s roof, on open spaces, and on every surface it can reach every day. Most of its rays heat things and disappear. Now, what if you put solar panels on the roofs? The sunlight will be converted into electricity. There is no need to wait for power to travel hundreds of kilometres from a coal plant. Energy gets produced locally through solar panels on different buildings, and then it gets shared between those buildings based on who needs it. And, it no longer feels like something distant or abstract. 

But solar panels make the most electricity during the middle of the day when the sun is brightest. If you are wondering how to get uninterrupted electricity in the evening and at night, we need to use batteries to save the daytime energy from going to waste, and use it at night when the sun is gone. 

Do not underestimate waste.

Even the waste you throw away has energy in it. Kitchen scraps, garden waste, and all of the organic material can be turned into biogas through a simple natural process, and that gas can be used for cooking. What is left after making the gas goes back into the soil as compost. 

The smartest way to conserve energy is to design your space better.

If you build a house with big windows at the right places, you get natural light during the day, and you do not need to turn on electric bulbs. If you design the layout so that air flows naturally, you do not need to run the AC or fan as much. If you use the right materials and the right orientation, the house does not heat up as badly in the first place. 

And once you are able to notice how much energy is being used, you begin to understand your own patterns. You see when usage increases, when it drops, and what is consuming more than it should. This awareness slowly influences the way you make decisions. 

How are you planning to conserve energy?