Tips to save energy in the kitchen

One room in the house where big energy savings can be made easily is perhaps the least expected: the kitchen. Here’s what to do to cut down on those power bills.

Refrigerator

• Ensure door seals are working effectively by placing a piece of paper between the seal and door. If the paper moves in and out, your seal isn’t doing its jobs. Adjust the door or replace seals.
• Defrost fridge and freezer regularly. Frost build up should never be more than half a centimetre.
• Refrigerators work most effectively if they are mostly full. Make sure there’s enough room between foods for air to circulate.
• Don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. The recommended temperatures are between 0°C to 4°C for fresh food, close to -18°C for the freezer and close to 0°C for the chiller compartment.
• Know the contents of your fridge so you don’t spend unnecessary time with the fridge door wide open. It’s drilled into you when you’re kids but it’s always worth remembering: the less you open the door, the less electricity is used.
• If you are going on holidays for an extended period of time, it may be worth turning off you refrigerator. 

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Oven, rangehood and cooktops

• Clean door seals regularly and check for signs of wear. Replace flat or split door seals.
• Regularly clean surfaces for full heating benefits.
• Turn off the rangehood lights when not needed and use exhaust fan on the lowest speed. 

Dishwasher

• Most of the energy used by a dishwasher is for water heating. Check the manual to see if your dishwasher has internal heating elements that will allow you to set the water heater to a lower temperature.
• Only run dishwashers when full but not overloaded.
• Scrape, don’t rinse, leftover food on your plates. 

Other

• Small appliances like electric kettles, toasters and grills generally provide better value than using the stove or oven.
• Place the faucet level on the kitchen sinks on cold. Placing the tap on hot position draws hot water even though you are not using it. 

Image credits: Getty Images

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