EC_July_2016_lores_with_links

48 / 52

LIGHT + CURRENT
Energy awareness made child’s play for most ages
The Energy Awareness Game uses home ownership as a basis for
learning the fundamentals of energy saving and teaches anyone,
above the age of six, energy awareness. Concepts, such as electric-
ity metering, are depicted in a creative manner that is intuitive and
easy to understand.
The game interplays 'Risk vs Reward': How to manage your risky
energy expenses against the reward of more income from energy
savings, and serves as a tool to promote energy awareness for all
ages. Energy expenses are things like geysers, appliances, charg-
ers, fridges, stoves, kettles, thermostats, etc. For example, to start
playing you receive specified cash rentomoney notes, you do not
roll a dice but read an energy saving tip with a movement number
on it. The rule is you need to read the tip out load, for all to hear,
thereby embedding the information. Studies show repetition brings
automatic recognition, so maybe we will now get our kids and of-
fice colleagues to ‘Switch Off Something’ once they’ve played the
game!The tips vary between residential, commercial and industrial
tips so there is something for everyone.
The board is divided into 24 landing spaces that consist of energy
misuse blocks, where you pay a fine for over filling a kettle before
boiling water, or not having a check meter for your electricity bill,
to incentive blocks where you collect cash for successfully claiming
an energy efficiency tax incentive, for example, and then you can
purchase a house which needs to be upgraded before any cash can
be collected from opponent. Upgrading the house is cleverly done
in three steps, starting where you first make your house efficient
by upgrading lighting and hot water heating, before a solar panel
can be purchased – the more efficient your house, the more cash
you collect when an opponent lands on it.
The game also teaches financial management, and takes the
player on a learning rollercoaster of excitement and interaction
whilst changing the gamer’s habits towards using less energy.
When your money runs out, you are out of the game, so wise
decision-making is required.
Enquiries: Email
Order online:
The game costs R750 (excl VAT) and is available at a launch price
of R690 (excl VAT) for the first 100 sold.
Electricity+Control July ‘16 46