Your kitchen can be a big waster of Energy if you aren’t careful. Follow the simple energy saving tips below to reduce your energy bills as well as lower your carbon footprint.
- Make Smart Decisions with Regards to Cooking
If you just make a few changes to how you cook, you can end up enjoying significant savings in both energy and money. For instance, your pans and pots will boil much faster if your cover them – or even better, you can first boil water in your kettle before pouring it into the pan since this consumes less energy. Are you using more water in your pots and pans than is actually needed when boiling food? If this is the case, it will not only take more energy and time to boil, but you will be wasting water too.
One more good tip is turning off the heat several minutes before the food is ready. This is particularly important when using an electric heater because the electric hobs usually take a while to cool down. Turn off the electric oven about 10 minutes before the food finishes cooking and it stays hot.
If you have already boiled water, you should think about whether it can used for multiple purposes. For example, when cooking pasta in a pan, you can put a colander on top and you will have a make-shift steamer for cooking your vegetables in!
- Treat Your Refrigerator Right
It is never a good idea to put hot food straight into your fridge because it will need to work harder to cool it down and will draw more energy in the process. Allow hot food to cool on the side first before putting it inside. The same applies to your freezer. Don’t leave your freezer or fridge door open for extended periods and defrost it whenever necessary. Finally, ensure that there’s not less than a 10cm gap behind the fridge since this saves electricity and allows the heat to flow away more easily.
- Smart Washing and Drying
Two of the largest power consuming appliances in the house are the Washing Machine and tumble dryer. Ensure that your washing machine is full before switching it on, or if your machine has the half load setting, use it. When it comes to the dryer – is it really necessary? Putting clothes out on the line instead is a very simple way to save electricity and they are likely to last longer too!
It might come as a surprise to you, but the truth is that between 85 and 90 percent of energy in a washing machine is used to heat the water, so avoid putting it on a hot wash unless it is absolutely necessary. If your clothes are not especially dirty washing them at 30 degrees is just as effective as washing them at a higher temperature. If you switch from a hot to a warm wash, you can actually cut the energy consumption by up to 50 percent over the course of 1 year.
- Get Dripping Taps Fixed
It might not seem like a big deal, but a tap that drips severely wastes as much as 1 liter of water every hour, which is actually enough to fill a bath in a week. You shouldn’t forget that if it’s hot water, you will be wasting energy too. So, don’t ignore it any longer and have it fixed.
- Do Your Dishes
Some studies show that modern dishwasher uses much less water compared to washing dishes by hand. If you normally use a dishwasher, open up the door after a wash cycle is complete and allow the hot dishes to air-dry. If you do this, you can save a considerable amount of electricity.
- Clean Your Oven Door
Whenever you open your oven door, you let our hot air and waste energy. If you have a clean oven door and you are able to see through it, you won’t need to keep opening it when checking up on your food. It might be a dirty job but is definitely worth doing.
- Avoid Overfilling Your Kettle
It is one of the greatest energy waster. In fact, the energy that you waste boiling an overfilled kettle in a week is enough to power a TV for an entire day. It is believed that most people tend to use more than twice the amount of water they actually need. Boiling more water than necessary consumes more electricity, only for the excess water to cool down and need to be boiled once more at a later time. You can use a cup for measuring out the exact quantity of water you need and just add a bit extra to allow for evaporation.
- Invest in Energy Efficient Appliances
Kitchen appliances are not all created equal according to Josco Energy Corporation. If you haven’t updated your freezer, fridge, or cooker for a while, you might be wasting a significant amount of energy. When you go out to buy a replacement appliance, always check the energy rating and check for the Energy Trust Recommended sticker.
Consider the size too. Do you have a massive fridge-freezer that is almost always half-full? Buying appliances of the right size can help you save money too.
- Use Your Microwave
You should strive to use the microwave whenever possible to cook your food. When it comes to heating up small quantities of food, using the microwave is a more energy efficient option compared to the hob and far more efficient than using the oven. Just remember to turn it off at the plug once you are finished.
- Avoid Leaving Appliances on Standby
If you leave your washing machine, microwave, electric oven, tumble dryer, and dishwasher on standby, they will all sit there eating up your electricity. Always remember to turn them off at the plug when they aren’t in use. This also applies to other appliances in your home.
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