How To Make Your Kitchen Energy Efficient

By:Andrew Wroblewski

Energy bills go up every month. We used to attribute it to the increasing cost of electricity and heating, but even if we just want to make up for them, we have to save energy whenever we can. Heat loss through inadequately insulated walls is a great problem, but so do all kitchen stuff - while we may not know about it, kitchen appliances are a major factor in our house's energy consumption.

Let's start from preparing the meals. First of all, never use the stove for reheating the leftovers. It sucks wild amounts of energy! Try a microwave oven instead - while the quality of the food suffers a bit, you save up to 40% energy you'd otherwise have to waste on heating the stove. Another tip is about the burners. Never use the big ones unless you have a really large pot. Remember that big burners don't heat anything faster (especially if pots are smaller than the burner), but they use much more energy. Make sure that your pan or pot are sitting flat in the burner as well. Many time the pot/pan bottoms are rounded a bit from wear and usage and do not sit flat on the burner, thus heating up inefficiently and wasting energy.

Fridges and freezers are two other major energy consumers in your kitchen. Make sure that the insulation around their doors is in good condition. If the doors are not sealed properly, the energy consumption skyrockets. You may also play a bit with the freezer's settings. In most cases people set too low temperature - it does not help store food anymore, but it decreases the energy efficiency.

As for other major energy consumers in your kitchen, you may consider replacing the bulbs with the fluorescent models. They provide just as much light as incandescents, and despite their higher individual price, they are much cheaper in the long run. Also, it may be a good idea to reduce the amount of energy used by your dishwasher. The point is that you have to use it only when it is properly loaded. If you overload it, don't be surprised if it uses huge amount of electricity. On the other hand, running it every time you have a few cups to clean will be a waste of energy, too. When you do run it, run it at night when most electric KWH costs are lower than during the day.

One last tip: generally, try to replace your appliances with more energy-efficient models. Look for Energy Star logos - they mean that the appliance is more energy-efficient. Remember that they are responsible to a better part of your electricity usage, so it is something worth fighting for.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: energy, electricity, electric, ignite, stream energy, save money

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Find out how to earn an income by teaching others how to inform people about reducing their utility bills at: Ignite and Stream Electric and explore the possibilities that energy de-regulation has created.

Top Consumer Articles
1). Phone Cards for International Calls By : Bernard Pragides Useful tips to find the very best in long distance phone cards
2). Business Gift Giving Etiquette By : Gregg Hall In general gifts are given in business to promote goodwill and foster good relationships. They are also given to show appreciation. How do you know what is a proper gift?
3). Why should I consolidate my bills? By : Jon Butt So, why should I consolidate my bills? For starters, there are many different ways to proceed with bill consolidation and debt consolidation. In the grand scheme of things, all of us would be happy with a debt consolidation loan with excellent terms, but there are other ways
4). Buying Bedding for your Home By : James Hunt Buying bedding for your home is a purchase that you’ll likely be making at least once or twice a year. For the colder months you may want to buy duvet covers that are warmer and cozier than bed covers that you have during the summer...
5). Compare Prepaid Iran Calling Cards for Calls to Iran Persian Community By : Brian Hawkins Since the US and Europe Persian Community is growing, Iranians need to find ways to compare prepaid Iran calling cards to find the best deal for calls to Iran.
6). Features and Benefits of DLP TVs By : JOHN DULANEY Even today, Texas Instruments remains the primary manufacturer of this technology. Many different manufacturers license the technology from Texas Instruments, and build their products around the TI chipset. In addition to its use in televisions and projectors, DLP technology is used in a number of specialized applications such as lithography and imaging.
7). Fun With Digital Voice Recorders By : Shawn Davis Do you need to have a recording of your telephone conversations for legal, covert or even training purposes? There are many types of digital voice recorders available. Once such recorder has a five hour recording capacity and features a caller ID, which records two way conversations with ease. It also features automatic recording that works only when the telephone is in use.
8). Consumer Electronics Items By : Henry De Guzman Introduction: The daily use of electronic equipments are known as consumer electronics and includes TV, telephone, DVD, CD, PC, laptop etc. These equipments are manufactured throughout the world. With the advancement in electronic engineering at a continuous pace, a number of new variety electronics items flood into the market every year and the cost the existing products reduces continuously and it is one of the biggest advantage of consumer electronics industry.
9). Show Off That Awesome Plasma TV with the Perfect Stand By : Nathan T. Lynch Plasma TVs are one of the hottest electronic items being sold today. They are somewhat of a financial investment so whether you’re planning on creating an entire home theatre system for your family or just want a nice way to show off your new TV, a plasma TV stand is an excellent idea. Here’s a few different types of TV stands and cabinets to assist you with your decision making.
10). Home Theater Construction That Really Sings By : William Matt When creating a home theater, it can help to heed some sound advice: Working with the right materials can do a lot to improve the overall acoustic integrity of the system. For example, medium density fiberboard (MDF) is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, cabinets, door parts, mouldings, millwork and laminate flooring. MDF is a composite panel product consisting of recycled wood fibers combined with a synthetic bonding system and joined together under heat and pressure.

New Consumer Articles
1). How To Find Quality Irish Gifts To Give A Touch Of Ireland By : Gregg Hall Whether you are shopping for an Irish relative or friend, or you wish to present a loved one with a token of your appreciation that hails from a different country, there are plenty of Irish gift ideas to consider.
2). How Personalized Address Stamps Can Help You Cut Down On Your Correspondence Time By : Gregg Hall What do you do when you wish to save a little bit of time when mailing out letters and packages? You might never think it, but a personalized address stamp may be just the handy tool you need to rush through the many correspondences you may have.
3). How TV Detectives Almost Made Me Become A Private Investigator By : Gregg Hall The old detective shows greatly differ from the new ones. The new ones are filled with graphic violence and plots that would have made my mother ban me from watching TV.
4). Make Your Shoes Last Longer By : Gregg Hall Everything is more expensive these days. I am only 44 years old and I can remember when gas was less than fifty cents a gallon, a nice house was thirty thousand and a great new car for less than ten thousand.
5). A Look At Some Of The Different Wrenches You Should Have In Your Toolbox By : Gregg Hall If you are in the market for a wrench there are many different things you need to consider. For a man this can be a fun shopping experience. You might be surprised to see how many different kinds of wrenches there are, especially if you look at a tool store, or in a tool catalog.
6). The Phone Card - It Will Save You Money By : Dean Caporella The phone card has been a tremendous boon for international travellers but did you know more and more people are discovering their cost effectiveness in making long distance calls within their own country.
7). Some Reasons Why You Should Consider Using Background Checks By : Gregg Hall Everyday, we come in contact with strangers, such as the person delivering office supplies to our places of business and the person who serves us at a restaurant. People want and need to know exactly who it is that they are dealing with.
8). How You Can Decide Whether You Should You Really Spend That Much on Sunglasses By : Gregg Hall You think about the technical and aesthetic differences. And then as you near the sunglasses store, you wonder if the $200 Serengeti pair really work better than the $10 pair you just tried on at the flea market.
9). Forget About All The New Toys On The Market Buy The Child On Your List A Rocking Horse By : Gregg Hall Enigmatic and nostalgic, the rocking horse can open magical doors for children and adults alike. Adults sit back, watching children play, and remember the special times they had on their own horse. Rocking horses will forever symbolize childhood and its fantastic memories.
10). The Samsung 42 Plasma -- Samsung HP-P4271 42in HDTV Ready Plasma Television By : John Lloyd The new fourth-generation Samsung 42 plasma is out, offering state-of-the-art high performance high-definition display and resolution. As opposed to the liquid crystal type display technology, plasmas create their stunningly life-like pictures through a complicated gas-based system. The plasma display idea has been around since 1964, but is only now coming into its own for practicality.