| Energy bills go up every month. We used to attribute it | | | | doors are not sealed properly, the energy consumption |
| to the increasing cost of electricity and heating, but | | | | skyrockets. You may also play a bit with the freezer's |
| even if we just want to make up for them, we have | | | | settings. In most cases people set too low |
| to save energy whenever we can. Heat loss through | | | | temperature - it does not help store food anymore, but |
| inadequately insulated walls is a great problem, but so | | | | it decreases the energy efficiency. |
| do all kitchen stuff - while we may not know about it, | | | | As for other major energy consumers in your kitchen, |
| kitchen appliances are a major factor in our house's | | | | you may consider replacing the bulbs with the |
| energy consumption. | | | | fluorescent models. They provide just as much light as |
| Let's start from preparing the meals. First of all, never | | | | incandescents, and despite their higher individual price, |
| use the stove for reheating the leftovers. It sucks wild | | | | they are much cheaper in the long run. Also, it may be |
| amounts of energy! Try a microwave oven instead - | | | | a good idea to reduce the amount of energy used by |
| while the quality of the food suffers a bit, you save up | | | | your dishwasher. The point is that you have to use it |
| to 40% energy you'd otherwise have to waste on | | | | only when it is properly loaded. If you overload it, don't |
| heating the stove. Another tip is about the burners. | | | | be surprised if it uses huge amount of electricity. On |
| Never use the big ones unless you have a really large | | | | the other hand, running it every time you have a few |
| pot. Remember that big burners don't heat anything | | | | cups to clean will be a waste of energy, too. When |
| faster (especially if pots are smaller than the burner), | | | | you do run it, run it at night when most electric KWH |
| but they use much more energy. Make sure that your | | | | costs are lower than during the day. |
| pan or pot are sitting flat in the burner as well. Many | | | | One last tip: generally, try to replace your appliances |
| time the pot/pan bottoms are rounded a bit from wear | | | | with more energy-efficient models. Look for Energy |
| and usage and do not sit flat on the burner, thus | | | | Star logos - they mean that the appliance is more |
| heating up inefficiently and wasting energy. | | | | energy-efficient. Remember that they are responsible |
| Fridges and freezers are two other major energy | | | | to a better part of your electricity usage, so it is |
| consumers in your kitchen. Make sure that the | | | | something worth fighting for. |
| insulation around their doors is in good condition. If the | | | | |