Cut Energy & Water Waste in the Kitchen to Save Money During the Holidays (and Year-Round)

This guest blog post was authored by NRDC Energy Communications Intern Michelle Katz, whose photo in the kitchen also accompanies this entry.

This time of year is traditionally filled with festive cheer and holiday feasts, which can also mean more time in the kitchen and the potential for increased energy and water waste. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid the higher utility bills that come with it during the holidays and all year-round.

Start with the Kitchen Sink

If you have an older faucet in your kitchen sink, it may be time to upgrade to a new water aerator before the holidays are over. For less than $5, a new efficient aerator can reduce your water usage by up to 40 percent, substantially cutting your water bill year-round with just a few minutes of effort. Before heading to the hardware store, check with your local water agency, as some provide aerators for little to no cost. Install a newer model that uses a maximum of 1.8 gallons of water per minute, and watch the savings flood in.

Also make sure to check that your faucet isn't leaking. While occasional drips may not seem like a significant amount of water, they add up fast; a leaky faucet can cost you an additional $35 per year on your water bill. Wouldn't you rather have that money to spend on holiday gifts?

Next, the Refrigerator

When it comes to refrigeration, temperature is key for keeping your eggnog cool while still preventing unnecessary energy waste. Make sure the refrigerator temperature is set between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit for the most efficient cool, while your freezer should remain at an optimal 0 degrees for long-term storage. To guarantee that no chilled air escapes, confirm that the doors are tightly sealed. Simply take a dollar bill and wedge it between the refrigerator's door gaskets, then try pulling it out. If it slides out easily, it may be time to replace the gaskets. If you're getting ready to stuff those warm leftovers back in your fridge, think again. Allow foods to cool before you place them in the refrigerator, as it zaps more energy to chill hot foods than those already at room temperature.

Don't overstock the fridge either! In order to efficiently cool, your refrigerator needs to internally circulate air, which is impossible if all the shelves are jam-packed. Allow enough space between foods for cold air to circulate all around, and keep your refrigerator from hogging energy this holiday season. But--the freezer is a whole different story. Break out the storage containers and stuff your freezer full of holiday leftovers, as it cools most efficiently when it's completely stocked.

And that second fridge in your garage or basement, the one that's probably 10 years old? Chances are it's a huge energy hog, so make sure to only use it during the holidays, and consider unplugging the rest of the year when it's not being fully used. Otherwise, you might be looking at an additional $150 on your annual energy bill.

Don't Forget the Stovetop

Before you crank up the burners and get those side dishes cooking, double-check that your stovetop and burner pans are properly cleaned. A dirty stovetop won't reflect heat as well, cooking food inefficiently and costing you extra energy in the long-run.

And while it may seem like a given, choosing the appropriate cookware can have large implications for your kitchen's energy efficiency. Flat-bottomed cookware can save 50 percent more energy when boiling water than warped-bottom pots, by allowing for more direct contact with the heating elements and a reduced overall cooking time. Copper-bottomed pots and pans also help keep your energy use down, providing more conductivity than regular metal pans.

Same goes for sizing--choosing the correct pot or pan size to fit your burners can save up to $36 annually for an electric range stovetop or $18 annually for gas, preventing the heat loss and energy waste associated with too-large or too-small cookware.

The Oven Matters, Too

If you have a tendency to "peek" inside the oven to check on your food's cooking progress, remember that less is always more. Opening the oven door, even for a moment, can result in instant heat loss by up to 25 degrees - raising your cooking time, and your energy bills.

If you're in the market for a new oven this holiday season, remember that not all models are created equal in terms of energy use. Convection ovens can help significantly cut energy costs, using an average of 20 percent less energy per month than conventional ovens, thanks to their constant circulation of hot air.

Consider the Microwave

Think that the majority of your holiday meals need to be cooked in the oven? Think again: Using your microwave to cook and reheat smaller portions of food can reduce your cooking energy by up to 80 percent. So while you may not be able to stuff that holiday ham or turkey in the microwave, heating side dishes in the microwave can substantially cut your kitchen energy costs.

How You Use the Dishwasher Makes a Difference

Don't buy into the myth that dishes need to be pre-washed for a true clean. Simply scrape off any food remnants and place your dishware directly into the dishwasher, no added washing needed. And make sure to run only full loads of dishes when you can-- hold off on washing just a few pots and pans at a time. If you must wash a partial load of dishes, make sure to adjust your dishwasher with the appropriate water-level setting. Think that you can save water by hand-washing a load? Think again. Newer dishwashers use 3 to 5 gallons of water for a single load--compared to 2 gallons or so per minute when you hand wash.

And when you do run your dishwasher, adjust the settings to energy-saving or water-saver modes, and allow the built-in soil sensor on certain models to determine the water levels needed automatically. Given that much of a dishwasher's energy use comes directly from heating water, enabling the energy saver mode will ensure that room-temperature air is cycled in to dry your dishes, lessening the heat, and energy, needed to clean all those pots and pans.

Avoid Food Waste

Each year Americans throw away the equivalent of $162 billion in uneaten food, making food the single largest component of solid waste in our landfills. This costs the average family of four over $1,500 a year and wastes a lot of water and energy required to grow that food. So think about innovative ways to use those holiday leftovers and save money in the process.

Think About the Holiday Lights

If you've added strings of festive holiday lights to decorate your kitchen (or the rest of your home) for the holidays, choose LEDs. They can last up to 25 times longer than the old school incandescent type holiday bulbs, and opting for LED light strands with the ENERGY STAR® label can save you up to 70 percent on energy use.

Using all these tips can help you take on the challenges of holiday cooking without burning up your wallet. Reducing energy consumption also means lessening the need to burn fossil fuels to generate it and avoiding theaccompanying polliton that's fueling climate change. Plus, you can use your utility bill savings to buy what you didn't get from your holiday wish list.

Looking for even more energy-saving tips for your kitchen? Check out NRDC's Smarter Living, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savers Guide

Source: Cut Energy & Water Waste in the Kitchen to Save Money During the Holidays (and Year-Round)