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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. The easiest things you can do in order to minimize the energy consumption in your kitchen are changes in your cooking routine. Tip number one: use the burners of appropriate size: small for small pots and large only for large pots. If you use the too large burner, you will only waste a lot of heat while not making food hot any faster. Tip number two: prefer the microwave oven to the stove. While you may still use the stove to prepare food, microwave ovens consume about half the energy needed to heat up the stove. Finally, try to use crock pots to prepare meals. It takes a lot more time, but they greatly increase the energy efficiency of this process. Another important issue is your fridge. Unless you pay attention to its settings, you may end up with using up to 20-30% more energy than you could otherwise. Here's how to do it: experiment a little with the settings - in most cases we set our fridges colder than it is necessary. It is especially important in case of freezers: 20 Celsius below zero is just as good as 40, but uses only around half the energy. Also, make sure that the door are well-insulated, especially that the insulation seals completely when you close the door. Replace the sealing the moment you notice any cracks - if cold air gets out and warn air can get inside, the fridge starts using much more energy. 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. Generally, try to use your common sense when limiting your energy consumption. Especially, pay attention to the energy-efficiency of appliances you're about to buy. Sometimes paying a hundred dollars more during the purchase may bring you $20 monthly savings on the energy bill.
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