With the holiday season well under way, it’s easy to get engulfed in the hubbub of it all. Don’t be scared. I’m not going to warn you of the perils of excessive materialism. I’ll wait until next year for that. Right now, let’s discuss how we can engage in the festivities while reducing our energy consumption and naturally, our spending. Being that the kitchen is the center of many a holiday celebration, we’ll focus our attention there. Here are 7 seven simple ways to save energy in the kitchen both now and in the future.

Use the minimum required to get the job done. You wouldn’t bathe a newborn baby in a Roman bathtub, would you? Of course not. It’s far more than necessary to accomplish the objective. Likewise, extravagant use of household appliances doesn’t make much sense either. Although you may be accustomed to heating certain foods in a conventional oven, consider whether such meals can be prepared with a toaster oven or microwave without sacrificing quality. Instead of the stove, use a slow cooker to make soups and stews. When cooking on a stove top, use the smallest burner that’ll fit your pot or pan. Any excess will result in wasted money and energy.

Unplug appliances when they’re not in use. Even if turned off, many electronic devices continue to draw a small amount of energy when plugged in. If you’re not using it on a regular basis, unplug it and move it out of the way. Disconnecting all those counter ornaments disguised as cooking equipment might get you to finally admit you made a bad purchase decision. As an added bonus, clearing your counter tops of infrequently used appliances will likely lead to a more spacious and comfortable cooking environment.

Reuse and repurpose food packaging. Those plastic Chinese take out containers are perfect for storing leftovers. An empty ketchup bottle doubles as a pancake batter dispenser. Add a country spin to your glassware by using old salsa and mayonnaise jars as drinking glasses. Before you recycle or trash anything, ask yourself, “How can I get more use out of this?” If you’re not that creative, learn new ways to give your stuff a second life by browsing Real Simple’s New Uses for Old Things for more ideas.

Embrace the art of laziness and maximize the use of your dishwasher.

• Assuming your dishwasher is energy efficient, hand washing may be the more costly alternative to cleaning dishes.
• Save even more time and money by skipping the often extraneous step of pre-rinsing which can use up to 20 gallons of water. Scrape heavily soiled items if you’re concerned your dishwasher won’t be able to fulfill its job duties without your assistance.
• Wait until you have a full load of dishes before running your dishwasher. Recall the baby in a big ol’ bathtub analogy.
• Additionally, use the no heat dry feature. Yes, drying time will increase, but don’t worry. Your dishes will eventually dry. Worst case scenario, you’re forced to use a *gulp* wet dish.

Reduce refrigeration costs.

• Don’t leave the refrigerator door open. The fridge already accounts for about 8% of your home’s total energy consumption. Take a second, and close the door.
• Try to keep your refrigerator full for the most efficient cooling. (You should notice a theme at this point.) If you’re light on actual food, a few full containers of water is all it takes to accomplish this.
• Clean the condenser coils on an annual basis.
• Set your fridge’s temperature between 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
• And last but not least, learn to live with just one refrigerator/freezer combo. That should be enough for most families. If I didn’t personally know an individual who has a side by side refrigerator, an upright freezer, and a deep freezer, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.

Kick your bottled water addiction. Use a water filter instead. In case you’re unaware of how inexplicably expensive and damaging to the environment bottled water is, here’s a clever little infographic that summarizes these points nicely.

If you’re in the market for a new kitchen appliance, look for one that bears the Energy Star. It’s usually not cost effective to swap out a less efficient appliance in good working condition with one that consumes less energy. However, you should consider the electricity required to power a new appliance when the time comes to replace the old one. The Energy Star designation means the machine satisfies strict energy efficiency tests set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. You can further reduce the overall price of your new energy efficient product by applying for rebates and other sales incentives.

What strategies do you use to minimize energy consumption in your kitchen?

Shawanda Greene

In November 2007, Shawanda Greene had $54 in her savings account and about $25,000 in debt. By the end of December 2008, she was debt free with a 3-month emergency fund of $7,500. During that time period, she adopted a lifestyle of what some would consider extreme frugality. Shawanda now spreads the wealth as blogger-in-chief of You Have More Than You Think – a productivity focused guide to maximizing the money you have to obtain more of what you want.

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