Guest Blogger: How to Save Electricity in Your Kitchen

Guest Blogger #693, Entry #1635, September 24, 2012

Kitchens can be one of the largest users and abusers of home energy; with all those electric appliances such as toasters, mixers, microwaves, stoves, fridges, and cabinet lighting – the kitchen can drastically increase your electricity bill. Here are some great, easy ways to use less energy in your kitchen:

How do you save energy in your kitchen?

Image via

Unplug:

One of the easiest ways to use less electricity in your kitchen is to simply unplug all of your appliances when they are not being used. Most people do not realize that when appliances are plugged in, they are constantly sucking power – even if they are not currently being used! By unplugging all your small appliances, your energy savings will add up. While you are at it, go ahead and do this for your televisions, computers, and other home electronics. Appliances such as electric radiators and other heating sources should be unplugged when not in use. Power saver bars can also be quite handy; you can usually plug in up to 5 outlets into one bar, and some even have timers which will shut off the power source via a timer switch.

Gas appliances:

If your home has access to gas energy, then use it! Gas is less expensive than electricity and there are so many modern gas appliances on the market that will look fabulous in your kitchen. Plus there is nothing easier than a conventional gas oven that will cook all your baked goods to perfection at half the energy cost!

Save energy in your kitchen with these helpful tips

Image via

Energy star appliances:

Are you hanging on to all those old appliances because you don’t want to shell out the money for brand new ones? Well, you may actually be costing yourself more in the long run with these old, inefficient appliances. Most modern kitchen stoves, fridges, and even toasters, now come with five star energy ratings – making them the most efficient appliances on the market. There are also government rebate programs where you can usually get approximately a $40 rebate back for each energy efficient appliance that you buy.

Overall, your kitchen does not have to be a power-draining room in your home. Shop around your local hardware stores and look at all the energy-efficient models that are currently on the market. Most of these appliances will have a showroom display that shows the amount of energy you could be saving – you will be surprised at the money you could save as well!

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.