COOKING UP SAVINGS IN THE KITCHEN

ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

The kitchen is one of the rooms in your home that uses the most energy since it houses multiple major appliances. And because this area uses so much energy, it’s a place where energy-saving habits can have a noticeable impact. Follow these tips to start saving energy today:

When purchasing new appliances, make sure they’re ENERGY STAR® certified. ENERGY STAR is an internationally recognized program that identifies the most efficient products available for purchase. If you notice that an appliance has a blue ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident it’s in the top 10% to 30% of its class in energy performance. You may also want to look into buying an ENERGY STAR Most Efficient appliance. This is an annual designation awarded to the “best of the best” ENERGY STAR certified models in select product categories.
When the weather allows, cook your meals on the grill to keep excess heat out of your home.

If you have small appliances like air fryers and pressure cookers, use them instead of always using your oven. Make sure to also unplug your other countertop appliances, such as your coffee maker, after using them.

Clean your refrigerator coils periodically to regulate the temperature. Vacuuming the grill beneath or behind your fridge regularly will help extend the life of your refrigerator compressor.

Run your dishwasher only when it’s full and use the energy-saving cycle if it has one. When it’s used correctly (and when the model is ENERGY STAR certified), a dishwasher can be more energy efficient than washing by hand since it uses less hot water.

Set your fridge thermostat to 4°C and your freezer to -18°C.
Put a piece of paper in your fridge door and close the door. If the paper slides out when pulled, there’s a good chance the seal isn’t tight and should be cleaned or replaced.
Let leftovers cool before putting them in the fridge, allowing the appliance to do less work.
If you have an exterior door into your kitchen, make sure it’s properly air sealed. Also, consider replacing the door with an energy-efficient model. We offer rebates on select ENERGY STAR certified high-performance doors!
Install a kitchen faucet aerator to reduce water consumption.