Published January 18, 2019
Invest in Energy Conservation for Your Kitchen in 6 Steps
The Importance of Reducing Your Energy Usage in the Kitchen
The most common question asked by energy customers is, “Why is my bill so high?” Coming in a close second is, “How can I lower my bill?” While we’ve talked many times before about increasing the energy efficiency of your home, we’re bigger believers in energy conservation as the way to lower your energy usage and receive smaller bills. Outside of setting your thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter, there’s no better place to start using less energy than in your kitchen.
#1 Invest in Energy Efficient Appliances
If you really want to use less energy, you need modern kitchen appliances designed to do exactly that. Not everyone has the budget for a full kitchen renovation, but you can make plans to replace one appliance at a time. You can then invest the savings from one appliance into purchasing your next one. We recommend contemporary ENERGY STAR rated appliances whenever possible, especially your refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, and stovetop.
#2 Unplug Everything Possible
Obviously, you can’t unplug your large appliances all the time, but you can keep your smaller ones unplugged when not in use. This includes your toaster oven, toaster, blender, electric kettle, slow cooker, or any such device. There is no reason they need to be plugged in when they’re not being used.
The concept in play is known as phantom or “vampire” power in that plugged-in devices still draw power even when turned off. Each device might not draw lots of power, but when combined with all the electronics used in the average 21st century home, you could be using much more power than you think.
#3 Change How You Cook
Both your oven and stovetop use a lot of energy to reach and maintain high cooking temperatures. To maximize how much energy you conserve with these two large appliances:
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Use ceramic vessels that conduct heat more effectively instead of metal.
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Use the proper sized vessel for the dish being cooked.
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Cook multiple dishes at the same time whenever possible.
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Don’t preheat your oven before placing in your dishes.
You need to maximize how, when, and where you use your oven and stovetop if you really want to cut down on your energy usage. They generate lots of heat, so using them inefficiently can drive up temperatures throughout your home, causing your air conditioner to use more energy than normal to cool your home in the summer.
#4 Use Small Appliances Whenever Possible
Yes, all decent home cooks like to envision how they will dominate the competition if they ever make it onto an episode of Chopped, but you really don’t need to use your oven and stovetop all the time. Instead, opt for smaller, low-usage appliances that require far less energy to operate, including:
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Microwaves
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Slow cookers
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Rice cookers
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Toaster ovens
#5 Use the Dishwasher Wisely
Contrary to what you might think, a top-notch energy-efficient dishwasher will use water and electricity more effectively than all but the most conscientious wash-by-hand method. But to really lower your energy usage, only run your dishwasher when it’s absolutely full. Anything less is wasting water and energy. However, do not over-fill the dishwasher, as that could lead to insufficiently clean dishes and running the dishwasher again – which means you’re wasting energy.
#6 Take Care of Your Refrigerator
Two of the common energy efficiency tips you’ll find about refrigerators are:
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Clean the coils on the back every 6 months, as dust can make them overheat.
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Keep it at least 3/4 full all the time to maximize how the cooling process works.
Remember - physically moving a fridge away from the wall can be difficult, so you invite someone over to help you. Also, you can keep your refrigerator full for cheap by storing jugs of water in recyclable containers.
We encourage you to leverage these tips to use less energy. You can own the most energy-efficient appliances on the market, but you can still have high energy bills. Those appliances don’t use less energy – they simply use it more effectively with less waste. They can help you with energy conservation in the kitchen, but you have to put in the effort to actively reduce your energy usage.
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