1. You can be one!
Start saving electricity
and water today!
2. Anyone Can Be A We Hero 1
Reflections on my WE-Hero Journey 12
It’s Time to be a We-Hero 2
How Can I Be A We-Hero 4
What Do I Need to Know 8
How Have I Been Doing? 10
Table of Contents
3. My WE-Hero Handbook 1
“WE” stands for Water and Electricity.
You can be a WE-Hero when you learn how to save
as much water and electricity as possible at home!
Hi! I am a WE-Hero.
In your journey to become
a WE-Hero like me, you will:
Hello! I’m Pulip
and I am the last
droplet of a reservoir
that is drying up.
My job is to help
WE-Hero and you
save as much water
as possible.
Hey there!
My name is
Sparkray.
My job is to
help WE-Hero
and you save as
much electricity
as possible.
Anyone can be
a WE-Hero!
• Practise saving water and
electricity with your family
members at home
• Have fun while making a
difference to the planet
we all live in!
• Learn more about environmental
challenges affecting the Earth
• Discover how much water and
electricity are used in your home
4. 2
We use water and electricity
every single day. Just take a
look around you – How are
water and electricity used
in your school and
at home?
Why is it important
to be a WE Hero?
It’s time to be a WE-Hero!
Where does
water and
electricity
come from?
Do we have to
pay for water
and electricity?
What would
a world
without
water and
electricity
be like?
Can’t I just use as
much water and
electricity as I want to?
Why Is It Important to be a WE-Hero?
5. Do you
know?
WATER FROM
THE LOCAL
CATCHMENT
IMPORTED
WATER
NEWATER DESALINATED
WATER
D
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My WE-Hero Handbook 3
Even though nearly 70% of the world
is covered by water, only 0.007% of
that water can be used by the planet’s
7 billion people. Much of the planet’s
water is too salty to be used or drunk.2
€
€ Melts the ice caps on the poles
– increasing sea levels, flooding of low-lying islands
€
€ Leads to more diseases
€
€ Destroys the homes of our animal friends, causing some
species of animals to be homeless or even extinct
Singapore’s water supply
comes from four water sources
known as The Four National Taps1
:
Why should we
be concerned?
The Four National Taps help
Singapore to have a stable
supply of water. However, as our
population and economy continue
to grow, we need to ensure that
our demand for water does not
increase too quickly.
0.007%
Therefore when
you use water and
electricity wisely, you
are also saving money!
Much of the electricity that we use comes
from burning coal, oil, and gas which are
non-renewable resources. They are fossil
fuels which take millions of years to form.
Demand is constantly increasing but
burning fossil fuels also harms the planet
because a large amount of greenhouse
gases, such as carbon dioxide, is released
into our atmosphere, which:
Remember that both clean
water and electricity are
not free. You have to pay
for the amount you use.
6. D
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4 How Can I Be a WE-Hero?
Do you know how much
water you use for different
activities at home?
How Can I Be A WE-Hero?
The pie chart below shows how much water a
household normally uses for each activity. Make
a guess and label where water is used at home! 2
4%
10%
16%
22%
29%
19%
To be a WE-Hero, you need to know what need to be saved first.
Follow Pulip and Sparkray to find the answers.
basin
kitchen
flush
shower
washing
machine
others
8. How Can I Be A WE-Hero?
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6
Do you know how much
electricity is used by the different
appliances you have at home?
The pie chart below shows how much electricity
is being used by each household appliance.
How Can I Be a WE-Hero?
36%
21%
18%
11%
4%
4%
3%
1%
2%
TV
Computer
Lighting
Kitchen
Appliances
Washing Machine,
Clothes Dryer,
Iron
Fan
Others
Label the top 3 household appliances
which use the most electricity!3
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2 What Do I
Need to Know?
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8 What Do I Need to Know?
In the previous workshop, you have learnt some
tips on saving water and electricity at home.
In order to be a WE-Hero like me, you would also
need to know how to read your utilities bill.
1. A meter tracks the
amount of water
and electricity your
household uses.
It is usually located
outside your house.
2. The data are
collected by the
utilities company.
3. The utilities company
calculates how much
to charge you based
on the units of water
and electricity used.
Electricity is measured in
units of power called watts.
A kilowatt represents 1000
watts. A kilowatt hour (kWh)
is equal to the energy of
1000 watts working for
one hour.That amount of
energy can power a 100W
light bulb on for 10 hours.
Water in our utilities bill
is measured in units
called cubic meter
(Cu M). 1 Cu M is
1000 litres of water.
Do you know that your
utilities meters are only
read once every 2 months?
The months when your
meters are not read are
indicated by the bar graphs
with an asterisk (*Estimated
month). If you prefer to
avoid an estimated bill
for the next month, you
may follow the instructions
on the bill to submit your
meter readings.
This is how your
utilities bill
is created:
A utilities bill is a letter every household receives each
month to inform them of how much they need to pay for
the utilities (e.g. water and electricity) they have used.
11. QUIZ TIME!
2
3
4 5
1
My WE-Hero Handbook 9
1. How many units of electricity
were used? __________ kWh
2. How many units of water
were used? __________ Cu M
3. How much did the household
have to pay for electricity and
water services (before GST)?
$________________
+ $________________
= $________________
Note that total bill charges will be more than
the charges for electricity and water services
because charges for other services, such as
gas and refuse removal are included.
The picture below
highlights the key features
of a sample utilities bill:4
(charge for electricity
services before GST)
(charge for water
services before GST)
4. The amount of electricity the
household used was below / above the
neighbour average. (Circle the correct answer)
The difference between the household’s
electricity usage (for the current month)
and the neighbour average electricity
usage is _________ kWh.
5. The amount of water the household
used was below / above the neighbour
average. (Circle the correct answer)
The difference between the household’s
water usage (for the current month) and
the neighbour average water usage is
_________ Cu M.
Refer to the sample bill provided
and answer the following questions...
1 Payment Details
This is the total amount
payable for the current month
and the payment due date.
2 Account Summary
The billing period, date of the
bill, account type and amount
of deposit are provided here.
3 Consumption Graphs
These bar graphs reflect
your electricity, gas and
water consumption. They
allow you to monitor your
usage pattern of each service
and compare with your
neighbours and the national
average. The neighbour
average is derived based on
the average usage of similiar
housing types within a block
or street for landed premises.
4 Useful Tips
You will find tips and
advice on how to be
more energy and
water efficient.
5 Total Charges
for the Month
Total charges for the
current month, before
accounting for any
outstanding balance.
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10 How Have I Been Doing?
Overall Bill
Q1. This bill is for the month of ______________ 2018.
How Have I Been Doing?
How many stars would I give my
household for saving electricity?
(Shade the number of stars)
$________________
+ $________________
= $________________
(charge for electricity
services before GST)
(charge for water
services before GST)
Q2. How much did your household
have to pay for electricity and
water services (before GST)?
Electricity Usage
Month 1
________
2
________
3
________
4
________
5
________
6
________
Units of
Electricity
Used (kWh)
Q3. There has been an increase / decrease (circle the correct answer) in how much
electricity my household has used in Month 6 ( ) as compared
to Month 1 ( ).
The difference in amount of elctricity used was __________ kWh.
Q4. The amount of electricity my household used
in Month 6 is higher / lower (circle the correct answer)
than the neighbour average by _________ kWh.
13. My WE-Hero Handbook 11
Every household has different practices and habits when it comes to
water and electricity usage. Understanding your utilities bill helps you
to monitor whether your household is using water and electricity wisely.
It’s time to find out how you have been doing as
a WE-Hero! Refer to your household’s latest
utilities bill and answer the following questions.
Building good habits to save
water and electricity takes time.
Don’t give up! Be a WE-Hero!
(Shade the number of stars)
Water Usage
Month 1
________
2
________
3
________
4
________
5
________
6
________
Units of
Water Used
(Cu M)
Q5. There has been an increase / decrease (circle the correct answer) in how
much water my household has used in Month 6 ( ) as
compared to Month 1 ( ).
The difference in amount of water used was __________ Cu M.
Q6. The amount of water my household used in Month 6 is higher / lower
(circle the correct answer) than the neighbour average by _________ Cu M.
How many stars would I give my
household for saving water?
14. 12
Reflections
On My
WE-Hero
Journey
My Reflections
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As a WE-Hero, do you have something to say?
Write or draw in the space below!
Share with us about your experiences during your
WE-Hero journey. What do you think you have
done well? How do you think you can improve?
15. 13
References:
1. www.nationalgeographic.com/freshwater/freshwater-crisis.html
2. www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/fournationaltaps
3. www.pub.gov.sg/savewater/athome
4. NEA Household Energy Consumption Survey 2012
www.e2singapore.gov.sg/households.aspx
5. www.spgroup.com.sg
“The Greatest Threat To
Our Planet Is The Belief That
Someone Else Will Save It.”
~ Robert Swan
Congratulations! You are now
equipped to be a powerful WE-Hero!
Your WE-Hero journey does not end here.
Remember that everyone can do their part
to make this planet a better place to live in.
16. The WE-Hero campaign is a Water and
Electricity saving campaign carried out by
the National University of Singapore,
with the support of government
bodies and participating primary
schools in Singapore.
Special Thanks Acknowledgements:
