Energy in our homes and communities

Today our lives are filled with machines that save us time and effort.

Machines scrub our floors, wash our clothes, heat our water, carry heavy things, cook cakes, brush our teeth, heat and cool our homes and even change television channels. We use calculators and computers to save us having to work things out in our heads or on paper.

All of these machines require energy to work. The main sources we use to supply this energy are electricity, natural gas and petrol, derived from oil.

Our homes require a constant supply of electricity and natural gas. If this supply stops, like in a blackout, many things around our homes stop working.

When we leave our homes to go to school, work or the shops, many of us use a car or bus. Vehicles also require energy to run. We have to fill their tanks with petrol or a form of gas called LPG (liquid petroleum gas).

In Canberra much of the gas and electricity is supplied to the community by ActewAGL . The electricity we use is generated from both renewable and non-renewable energy sources.