Get your kitchen’s energy efficiency to the next level

For many, the electricity is taken for granted and yet everybody raises their eyebrows at high electricity bills. In the past months, most of us have been working and living at home, pushing the electric bills to new heights. How about you turn the trend backward and turn your household into a more energy-efficient one?

Let’s make something clear: to pay less you don’t have to pay more first. Sure, modern household appliances are in general more frugal with their energy consumption, but you can also make sure your existing appliances consume less. All it takes it to rethink some old habits. So, unless your current appliances are from another decade, you should be able to lower the consumption at least a bit with these tips.

Our homes total for about a quarter of all electric energy consumption on the planet. Cooking, heating, providing hot water, the use of computers, and watching TV all amount to it. When trying to lower energy consumption you might want to look at the items that consume more energy first, like heating and hot water. Smarter heating controls and using the eco setting on your hot-water heater should do the trick.

Then there’s the kitchen. Most kitchen or food-based activities involve heating things – with ovens and hobs – and cooling things down – in fridges and freezers. So it’s no surprise that a third of all household energy consumption happens in the kitchen. It’s no secret, most kitchen appliances use electricity to operate. And yes, you can still influence the consumption of it.

Energy-saving tips and tricks

While you might (have) skip(ed) the first step that recommends choosing energy-efficient products in the first place, please pay attention to all that follow. Home appliances have been increasing in size in the last decade. Larger fridge-freezers, washing machine drums, and television sets have thus canceled out some of the possible energy savings. It goes without saying, the needs of one person are different from the needs of two people or a family of four. Therefore, use the right size of appliance for your needs.

The most energy frugal appliance is the one that is turned off. Sure, you won’t turn off the fridge, but keep in mind that microwaves, electric ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, and phone or laptop charges will all use some electricity when left on standby. Try to get into the habit of turning these appliances and devices off (unplugging them) when you know you won’t be using them for a longer period of time.

The fridge also offers many ways to save energy. You should never put hot food directly into the fridge or freezer, instead allow it to cool down first. A good habit is to think before acting. When applied to the fridge it translates to – think before opening the fridge door and keep it open for the minimum amount of time needed. Gorenje has gone quite a lot further. Its ApaptTech solution was developed to maintain a constant temperature in the refrigerator regardless of how often you open the door. The refrigerator recognizes your habits (eg. continuously monitors the way you use it) and manages the temperature thus lowering energy consumption. And in case of prolonged absence, use the EcoMode where the fridge is set to operate in power-saving mode as the door is closed all the time.

Similar the “do not open the door unless neccessary” advice goes for oven use – don’t open its doors if not needed as it will use a lot more energy to compensate for lost heat. If you can, take a look through the glass door instead.

You can save a lot of energy with a smarter approach to heating things (food or water). You might want to use a microwave instead of a traditional gas or electric hob – especially if you’re heating small(er) amounts of food.

Heat water in a kettle, rather than on the stove. Also, only use as much water as you need – any extra amount will demand more time and energy.

The lids are there for a reason – always cover your pots and pans. This way you will use less energy to heat your food. Additionally, we recommend turning off the heat a couple of minutes before your food is fully cooked, especially on an electric hob as it takes some time to cool down (and will continue to cook your food).