Making Your Home Kitchen More Energy Efficient To Save Money
The kitchen is where you use up most of your energy. With different appliances you use for cooking, such as your gas ranges and ovens along with your microwave, dishwasher, trash compactor, refrigerator, and even small electronic and heating appliances, such as your toaster and your electric can opener, your kitchen is considered to be one of the main consumers of energy in your home.
Most people go through the process of saving energy because of the high amount of money they have to pay on their monthly utility bills by switching off the light on a room where no one's around and also by turning off the thermostat or their climate control device when they leave home. However, what they don’t realize is that they still use up a lot of energy in the kitchen and regardless of how you save energy you will still use up a lot of it in this part of the house.
So, here are some tips that you can do to help you save money by getting your home kitchen be more energy efficient.
If you plan on buying new kitchen appliances, make sure that you look for the Energy Star label. If you choose one with an energy star label, it will mean that it can efficiently save energy. Energy efficient models tend to be more expensive than conventional ones. But, it will definitely be worth it when you think about the operational cost in the long run.
The lighting in your kitchen should also be energy efficient. You have to remember that the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house. This means that the lighting here will also be used frequently. Try to get light bulbs that are labeled with the Energy Star logo and avoid incandescent light bulbs as it can use up more energy and doesn’t last as long as a fluorescent light bulb.
In almost every household in the United States, the refrigerator is the single most energy consuming appliances. Aside from getting a refrigerator with an energy star logo, make sure that you keep your refrigerator and freezer filled. This is because when a refrigerator or a freezer is filled, less cold air escapes when the door is opened. It is also recommended that you allow food to cool before you place them inside the fridge as placing hot food inside a refrigerator will use up more energy. Also, it is recommended that you cover foods and liquids in order to prevent moisture from being released. Moisture increases the amount of energy that will be used during the refrigerator's defrosting cycle.
For ovens, it is important that you should never peek at what's cooking inside by opening the oven door. Opening it for a couple of seconds can significantly decrease the temperature inside by as much as 25 degrees. If this happens, it will increase cooking time and therefore waste more energy.
Instead of opening the oven door, try to turn on the light inside it and look at the food through the oven window.
It is also recommended that you cook several items at the same time in your oven in order to save time and energy.
For dishwashers, aside from getting one with an energy star label, one method to save more energy is to let your dishes air dry outside instead of using the dishwasher's air dry features. This is because a dishwasher will use up more energy to dry your dishes than washing them.
These are some of the ways on how you can make your home more energy efficient. By starting with your kitchen, you can be sure that you will see a big difference on your monthly utility bills.
