Everyone is looking to save money and help their dollar reach them a little further, and many are also environmentally conscious. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum or what kind of energy your home uses, we waste a lot of energy in the kitchen. Here are some quick tips from our pros on how to save energy in your kitchen and money off of your electric bill.

Use your stove and oven efficiently for better kitchen energy savings

Be intentional when possible

use a small pan and as little water as necessary on one of your smaller burners – they take less energy to heat.

Re-use the same burner when possible

When one burner is already hot, it takes far less energy to keep it that way than it will to light up a second burner.

Turn your burner off early

The metal will stay hot for a long time even after you’ve turned it off. You can turn it off a minute or two before you’re finished and it will still cook your meal.

Use a lid when bringing water to a boil and while cooking

The pressure and heat are contained that way, cooking without a lid can use up to three times as much energy.

Stop pre-heating

Excepting for a few cake and bread recipes, preheating the oven is unnecessary when cooking.

Make sure to clean your burners and reflectors

They will then reflect and generate heat better, saving you money, time, and energy.

Adjusting your Fridge and/or Freezer for kitchen energy savings

Location is important

Place your cooling appliances out of any direct sunlight and avoid putting them next to your stove. If you have temperature controlled rooms, keeping the temperature lower in your kitchen can help with the cooling efficiency of your appliances.

Avoid turning down the temperature

it is recommended to use 35°-38°F for your refrigerator and 0° -3°F for your freezer. If you don’t have a thermometer on the unit, buy a small one separate.

Test your door seals for air-tightness

You can do so by using a piece of paper and placing it halfway in and halfway out of the unit. If you can pull the paper effortlessly out of the door, you may need to make adjustments to the latch or consider a replacement.

Wait for food to cool before placing it into the refrigerator or freezer

Hot food makes the cooling systems work overtime.

Defrost your freezer regularly

The buildup of frost will decrease your freezer’s efficiency, try not to accrue more than a quarter-inch of frost.

Miscellaneous kitchen energy savings

Only run your dishwasher when full

Most dishwashing units will consume the same amount of energy whether they are full or only half-full. Only running a washing cycle when its full will cut down on the total number of loads you do and save energy used to heat the water and power the unit.

Fix dripping taps

Not only will they waste your water, but if it is the hot tap, it is also wasting energy. Don’t drop your money down the drain!

Consider using a pressure cooker for your next meal

The steam and pressure provide much of the cooking energy and can use far less power to cook your meal than a slow cooker or stove.

Have any electrical or kitchen energy saving questions? Contact Wire Craft Electric today!