Last week I shared some tips to make your windows more energy efficient. This week I’m going to talk about saving some energy in the kitchen – sorry no tips on how to get the previous night’s burnt crusted remains off your baking dish (although a good soak will do the trick). These tips will help you save some electricity in the most used room of your house. Remember, all these little energy savers can add up to some real savings in your pocket.
THE BIGGEST ENERGY SUCKER IN YOUR HOUSE: THE FRIDGE
- Use a thermometer (placed in the fridge for at least 24 hours) to ensure fridge is close to 37 degrees, freezer is 5 degrees and deep freezers are 0. Go too far the one way and you’re wasting electricity. Too far the other and you might end up in that bikini faster than you planned. You know what I’m talking about, ladies.
- Try to position your refrigerator so that there’s at least one inch of space on each side and in back. This allows for proper circulation, which can reduce energy consumption by 10 percent.
- Vacuum coils of fridge to maximize efficiency. If you’ve never been behind your fridge, you’ll wanna make sure you don’t pull it out right after a big meal. Ick
- Test the seal of by shutting a piece of paper in the fridge door. If you can pull the paper out easily, replace the seal.
- Ensure frost doesn’t build up beyond 1/4 inch thickness in the freezer, which helps to reduce energy efficiency.
WATER CONSUMPTION
- A faucet aerator is cheap, easy to install and can reduce water consumption by up to 50 percent.
- Keep the faucet on the cold position. Having it on hot will draw on hot water even if it doesn’t reach the faucet.
- Use cold water for cooking. Period.
DISH WASHING
- Although it will save you a ton of energy, I know you don’t want to wash dishes by hand anymore than I do. But there are still a couple of things you can do to save, aside from using paper plates. First, if you have a newer dishwasher, there’s no need rinse – just give them a good scape to get all the food particles off. Honestly. Try it.
- Second of all, turn off the dry setting. Unless you’re sanitizing bottles, cracking the door for a bit will help the dishes dry. SAFETY FIRST: Never allow children to play near an open dishwasher. All that glass and sharp utensils can spell disaster in the blink of an eye.
COOKING
- Microwaves use less energy than conventional ovens. Although if you’re anything like me, I doubt I have to encourage you to use yours.
- At the stove, in the last few minutes of cooking or baking, turn the oven or burners off. They’ll retain enough heat to finish the job.
- Use the same paper test for the oven that you used on the fridge. I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will: Make sure the oven isn’t hot.
So there you have it. I’ve covered saving on heating (and cooling), making windows more energy efficient and using less energy in the kitchen. Next week, we’ll go over saving in the laundry room. I hope these little changes are adding up for you as much as they did for us.
Got a great energy saving tip? Share it with a comment.
Great tips! Thanks – in these trying times we can use all the help we can get!