Final answer:
UCP1 contributes to energy balance by promoting energy expenditure in the form of heat production in brown adipose tissue, rather than promoting energy storage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) plays a significant role in energy balance. It is involved in the process of non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), where it facilitates heat production by dissipating the proton gradient generated during oxidative phosphorylation, consequently facilitating energy expenditure. This process effectively bypasses the ATP synthase and leads to the production of heat instead of storing energy as ATP. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is C) Yes, by facilitating energy expenditure.