Reconciling the language and descriptions about energy in public discussion and the classroom. A key challenge in designing a teaching programme on energy is in deciding how best to deal with the differences in how the word 'energy' is used and understood in everyday discourse and in science. Many of the most important decisions and choices about energy matters, both for individuals and society, can be adequately understood from an everyday perspective. This raises the question of the appropriate balance in the curriculum between the everyday and scientific views of energy, and of why, when and how we should try to move students on from an everyday understanding of energy towards the scientific understanding.