Gas and electricity use creates almost a quarter of all carbon emissions from homes, on average. One of the simplest ways to cut down energy use at home is to explore energy-efficient practices in the kitchen. A number of important kitchen activities involve cooling things down and heating things up. Paul Favret mentions that web appliances like dishwashers and washing machines are also quite energy hungry. As a result, shifting to more energy-efficient appliances in the kitchen can considerably lower the utility bills of a home.
Paul Favret marks ways to lower energy use in the kitchen
Energy-efficient models of many kitchen appliances, including refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves are available today. Hence, homeowners should proactively try to invest in the most energy-efficient variant of appliances that comes under their budget. For optimal energy savings, it is vital to select the ideal size of appliances for the needs of each family. There is no point in buying a really large refrigerator if only two people stay in the house. Homeowners must also avoid leaving appliances on standby. While items like refrigerators have to be kept on at all times, one can save energy by turning off other electronic appliances. The microwave, electric oven, and dishwasher, all eat up electricity when left on standby. Hence, homeowners must get into the habit of turning them off at the plug for better energy savings.
Refrigerators are among the biggest users of electricity in the home. If they are not ventilated, this appliance will use a lot more power than necessary. Refrigerator companies today recommend having at least three inches of clearance between the rear of the fridge and what is behind it. This will help the machine to operate more efficiently and invariably save electricity. Putting hot leftovers in the refrigerators additionally forces the appliance to work overtime to things adequately cool. Allowing food items to cool down properly prior to refrigerating ensures that they will use less electricity to bring down the temperature of the food for safe storage. Condensing coils attached to the bottom of the rear of the refrigerator are responsible for creating cool temperatures, dust accumulation on these coils can cut down the efficiency of the appliance, and increase the costs incurred in running it. Therefore, Paul Favret mentions that it is prudent to clean these coils every six months or so.
If a person wants to save energy while doing simple activities like boiling water, they must put a lid on the pan or pot while it is heating. A covered vessel heats up faster, and therefore uses less gas or electricity to get the water to a boil. Failing to use the right size of pans or pots on the burner of the stove also can create an energy-wasting scenario. Placing a large pan on a small burner and a small pan on a large burner would simply result in energy waste. Hence, smartly selecting their size is imperative. Just by taking a few simple steps, people can lower the amount of energy consumed in their kitchen.
