How to Save Energy in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the largest drains on our home energy. Fridge freezers, hobs, and dishwashers can quickly add to our energy bills.

If you're looking for simple solutions to save energy in the kitchen, help is at hand! There has never been a better time to make small but effective changes to your household energy usage and the kitchen is a great place to start.

In this guide, we provide you with some top tips to help you save energy in the kitchen and reduce your household bills.

How Can I Save Energy in The Kitchen?

Home cooking is great for your diet, however if you aren’t using energy efficiently whilst doing this, it can lead to high energy bills.

1. Don’t leave your kitchen appliances on standby

Your fridge and freezer may need to remain on all the time (for obvious reasons!), but the rest of your appliances don’t. Keeping appliances on standby accounts for up to 16% of the average household’s energy bill.

By getting an energy monitoring device or smart meter, you can see for yourself how much energy your household is using. This can help you identify which are your most wasteful appliances.

Get into the habit of keeping your toaster, kettle, microwave, oven and washing machine unplugged at the wall. This simple measure could help you save around £35 on your annual energy bill. As an extra incentive, it will reduce the risks of an electrical fire.

2. Heat water efficiently

A lot of energy in the kitchen is used to heat water. So, make sure you are doing it in the most efficient way possible.

It is much more efficient to heat water in a kettle rather than on the hob. If you need water for cooking, heat it in the kettle and transfer to a pan. Only fill the kettle up with the exact amount of water you need rather than to the brim.

3. Cook in batches

There are a lot of ways to save energy when you are cooking. For example, chopping vegetables into smaller pieces can reduce cooking times.

For those who live in couples or alone, another great way to reduce the energy you use in the kitchen is batch cooking. This requires a bit of planning but is a great energy, time and money saver. You can even use your excess food for your lunch at work!

4. Use your microwave

Despite what Gordon Ramsey says, it is very energy-efficient to use a microwave to heat up food rather than a hob or oven. Slow cookers are also very energy efficient.

If you are going to use your oven or hob, there are ways in which you can do this efficiently. Make sure food is covered when you cook on the stove, as it will heat quicker and save energy. You could also turn your oven and hob off a few minutes early to make the most of the heat.

As tempting as it is, try not to open the oven door when you’re cooking. Finally, make sure that your pans are roughly the same size as your hobs. Otherwise, excess energy from the space not covered by the pans is wasted.

5. Fill your dishwasher

Like your washing machine, you should fill your dishwasher up as much as possible to make the most of the energy used in each cycle.

However, make sure that you are not over stacking as this could affect the quality of the wash. You'll then be forced to you use more energy and water to clean your dishes again.

If your dishwasher has a drying cycle, you could avoid using it and let them dry the old-fashion way by air-drying or using a dish cloth.

6. Invest in energy-efficient lightbulbs

Using energy saving lightbulbs like LEDs and CFLs can help you save energy in the kitchen. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that you could save around £40 on your annual energy bills by replacing all the bulbs in your home with LED lightbulbs.

7. Check door seals

Many of us forget to check whether our fridge, freezer and oven doors seals are working properly. This is important because loose seals can lead to energy wastage.

Check your kitchen appliance seals by placing a piece of paper between the seal and the door and seeing if it stays in place. If it doesn’t, your seals may need replacing.

This tactic can also be applied to your property’s doors and windows. Take a look at our draught-proofing page to find out more.

8. Defrost food early

Instead of using the defrost setting on your microwave or oven, take your food out of the freezer early and defrost it in your fridge to save energy.

9. Switch energy supplier

To reduce your energy bills as much as possible, you need to ensure that you are on a suitable energy tariff and this may well involve switching energy supplier.

Improving your energy efficiency in your kitchen won't work to its full potential if you are on the wrong home energy tariff.

Use our free energy comparison engine today to find out how much you could save by switching.

Or, you can visit our helpful energy guides for more advice on energy saving.

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