Cables
Cables carry electricity from power stations to your home. Cables are made of metal and are covered in insulation so that you can't touch the metal and get an electric shock.
Carbon
Carbon is an element (it contains only one kind of atom). Coal, oil and gas contain carbon. So do other energy sources such as trees and poo. When these things are burned, carbon and oxygen atoms join together to make carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Burning energy sources such as coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide. It acts like a blanket and traps the heat from the Sun in our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is breathed in and stored by plants and trees.
Carbon tax
Carbon tax is the idea of charging people for the amount of carbon dioxide they produce. This would make it more expensive to use energy sources such as coal, oil and gas. Users would not be taxed for using renewable energy sources, which produce less or no carbon dioxide.
Central heating
Central heating means heating your house using a boiler and radiators. Burning gas heats up water in your boiler. The hot water is then pumped through pipes to radiators around the house to keep it warm.
CHP
CHP stands for combined heat and power. Heat is given off whenever you make electricity. A CHP unit uses this heat to warm nearby buildings, instead of letting it go to waste.
Climate
Climate means what the weather is like in the long term. So, for example, the climate in some places on Earth is very dry, while in other places it is humid or cold.
Climate change
The climate is changing because we have put lots more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than there was before. Burning energy sources such as coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide. Because of climate change, the world is having more hurricanes, floods and droughts.
Coal
Coal is a non-renewable fossil fuel. It is a black rock. It is made from plants that died millions of years ago. Coal is burned in power stations to make electricity and burned in coal fires in houses. Burning coal is dirty and produces lots of carbon dioxide.
Combustion
Combustion is another word for burning. Fuels such as wood or oil can be burned to release energy.
Crude oil
Crude oil is a fossil fuel. It is a black sticky liquid. It is made from sea creatures that died millions of years ago and it is non-renewable. We extract oil from under the ground using an oil rig, then turn it into useful oil products such as petrol, diesel and plastic.
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