While buying Energy Star appliances, replacing worn out and drafty windows and removing those old incandescent lights to make way for the new, more efficient lighting sources are great ways to decrease energy consumption, many people in today's economy are stuck with tightening their financial belts and may not be able to afford spending that money right now. In fact, many people are looking to save money on the skyrocketing energy costs right now. Kitchens can take up over 1/4 of a household's energy costs. Focusing on using your appliances more efficiently in the kitchen can help save you hundreds of dollars a year without having to spend a penny out of your wallet.
1. Minimize preheating time for your oven.
2. Instead of opening the door of your oven to check to see if a dish is done, displacing heat and causing the oven to work longer to cook the food, turn the oven light on to see how your food is doing.
3. Use the smallest pan with the least amount of water necessary to cook food on the stovetop.
4. Cool foods to room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator.
5. Run the diswasher only when it is full. It has also been found that running a full dishwasher is actually more efficient than washing dishes by hand. Most newer models of dishwashers use less energy and water to wash the dishes than hand washing uses.
6. Unplug any appliances you are not using. Even when an appliance is turned off, electricity is still being run to the appliance, which can account for as much as 5-10% of your energy costs.
These are just a few of easy, no cost ways to utilize the appliances you have in a more energy efficient way. For more information on any of the tips I've given, if you have some tips you've found helpful and would like to share or if you would like more information on Wisconsin real estate, please feel free to contact me.
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