Gobble Up This Thanksgiving With 10 Energy Saving Tips
Check out our top 10 energy-saving ideas to make your electricity bill look as good as your Thanksgiving feast.
- If you're expecting a large group of people for dinner, turn down the heat a couple of degrees before they come. People generate heat, therefore the space could become overheated.
- Make sure the refrigerator and freezer doors are properly sealed. The cold air will be kept in and the warm air will be kept out. Close the refrigerator door on a $1 bill to see if it works. If you can easily slip the bill out, or worse, if it falls out on its own, the door should be adjusted or the gasket replaced.
- Before putting hot foods or beverages in the refrigerator, allow them to cool. The cooling-off period should not affect the food's flavor and will lighten the load on the refrigerator. Any uncooked food that has been at room temperature for more than two hours should be discarded or composted.
- Prepare ahead of time and take out all of the ingredients at once. When a refrigerator or freezer door is opened, the compressor must work a little longer to replace the cold air that escapes.
- Cooking should be done with the lids on. Pots and pans with tightly fitting lids retain heat allowing you to cook at lower temperatures and for shorter periods of time.
- When possible, use your microwave instead of your oven. Microwave ovens use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook for a fraction of the time.
- When preheating your oven for baking, pay attention to the preheat time. It should take no more than five to eight minutes. For broiling or roasting, there is no need to preheat the oven.
- If you're using an electric oven, cook as much of your dish as you can at once. Foods that cook at various temperatures can often be cooked at the same time at the same temperature - temperature fluctuations of 25 degrees Fahrenheit in either direction yield good results and save energy.
- Many families store leftovers in a second refrigerator in their garage after the meal. Both the food and the electricity bills may suffer as a result of this. Frozen foods may melt if you live in a chilly area (as the temperature sensor in the refrigerator will not activate the compressor if the temperature in the garage is 42 degrees Fahrenheit or lower). In addition, if you reside in a hot environment, your refrigerator will have to work even harder to keep your food cool. Consider putting a second refrigerator in the basement or another insulated part of your home if you have one.
- Finally, unless you have a significant cleaning task, don't utilize your oven's self-cleaning cycle after you've finished cooking. With a moist cloth, wipe up minor spills and splatters. When using the oven's self-cleaning feature, begin the cycle immediately after cooking, while the oven is still hot, or wait until late in the evening, when electricity usage is at its lowest.
