Energy is an invisible and increasingly valuable resource. However in the design of everyday environments and things, electricity and energy use is not often made explicit – wiring, electrical meters, outlets and batteries are hidden away in boxes, inside walls and in distant basements. We have been investigating design as both a means of enquiry into perceptions of energy and as a vehicle for making energy more explicit in everyday environments. In the Interactive Institute’s ‘Static!’ project, we investigate ‘energy as design material’. Taking energy as a design problem from the point of view of human and personal experience, our approach is to examine design as a means for increasing the visibility – and thus choices available – with regards to personal energy use.