Welcome to Engee's Energy Pages! Engee is our energy and energy efficiency expert. When it comes to energy, he knows it all! Maybe that's because Engee's birthday is April 22, which is Earth Day. We sat down with Engee to talk about energy. So tell us, Engee, what is energy?

Energy is the ability to do work. It can come in the forms of heat and light. There are two types of energy: working energy and stored energy. Stored energy becomes working energy when we use it. You eat food for energy. Then your body stores the energy until you need it. When you work and play, your stored energy becomes working energy.

We use energy every day. We use it to grow our food, warm our homes and run machines. It's an important part of our lives. Most of the time, we use stored energy for fuel. Burning fuel sets the stored energy free in the form of heat. Long ago, people only burned wood as fuel. Now, we mostly burn "fossil fuels" - like natural gas and oil.

Why are they called fossil fuels?

They are called fossil fuels because they are formed over millions of years from the fossils, or remains, of dead animals and plants. The fossils became buried under dirt and rock. Heat from the earth and pressure from dirt and rock changes these fossils into natural gas, oil and coal. Because it takes millions of years to make, or "renew," fossil fuels, we call them "nonrenewable fuels." To learn more about how natural gas is formed, click here.

Other fuels are called "renewable fuels" because they are "renewed" all the time and will never run out. One example of a renewable fuel is solar energy (energy from the sun).

How do we use energy?

We use energy to heat and cool our homes. We burn natural gas in our furnaces or boilers for heat. We also use natural gas to heat water for our baths and showers. We use electricity to power our lights, TVs and radios, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners. We use energy to run our cars. Most cars use a form of oil called gasoline to make them run.

How can we save energy? Ah, this is my favourite topic. Energy efficiency means using less energy to accomplish the same task. It's important to save energy because most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels. If we use up all our fossil fuels, there will not be any left for people to use in the future. It's impossible to stop using energy. But we can try to use less. You can make all the difference when it comes to taking action with energy. Learn how to conserve energy at home and at school. Talk about energy efficiency with your parents and friends. Visit this website regularly to learn more about energy efficiency.

Why is energy efficiency important?

Many reasons. First, it's good for the environment. If we use energy wisely, there will be enough for future generations. Second when your home is energy efficient, it's more comfortable.

What's smog? Smog is that brownish haze you see on warm, sunny days. It's a combination of the words smoke and fog. Smog is made up of a lot of pollutants. Pollutants from cars, trucks and machines contribute to smog. Chemical sprays, oil-based paints, dust and particles from factories and construction sites add to the problem.

Heavy smog can make your eyes sting and your nose and throat feel sore. When smog causes a bad air day, there are several things you can do to protect yourself. There are also things you can do every day of the year to help improve the air we breathe. Click here to learn more about keeping the air clean.