Energy Insights: 7 Tips to Save Energy in the Kitchen This Winter

When the cold weather arrives, people tend to spend more time in the kitchen. From baking cookies to making yummy soups, more energy tends to be used in the kitchen during the winter months. Here are 7 Tips to Save Energy in the Kitchen This Winter:

• Let food cool on the counter. When you slide a hot dish straight into the fridge or freezer, you’re asking the appliance to work overtime.

• Size matters on the stovetop. Avoid heating small pans on large burners. Heating the unused surface area of a burner is a waste of electricity. The same goes for setting a big pan on a tiny burner.

• Air dry those dishes. When using a dishwasher, power it off after the wash cycle, open the door, and let the dishes air dry. The heated drying feature uses more power than you think.

• Try your best to not open the oven door while cooking. Each time you open the oven the temperature decreases 25-75 degrees.

• Keep your freezer full. Food retains cold temperatures, so a full freezer will run more efficiently than an empty one.

• Be on the lookout for ENERGY STAR kitchen appliances. These will cook much more efficiently than older appliances.

• Don’t neglect your slow cooker. Or your microwave or toaster oven. Putting them to work more often instead of the oven or stovetop can mean significant energy savings. For example, the average toaster oven can use up to half the energy of the average electric stove over the same cooking time.