Household Tips

• When cooking, make sure the size of your pan matches the size of the burner. If the flames are bigger than the pan base, you're wasting heat.
• Keep range-top burners clean so heat reflects properly.
• Cook foods in glass or ceramic pans. You can set your oven 25 degrees cooler and food will cook at the same rate.
• Don't open your oven door to check your food. The oven can lose 25 percent of its heat when you open the door.
• When baking, cook several things together to shorten the time the oven is on. Or, make double batches and freeze them for later use.
• Re-heat or cook small items in the microwave oven or toaster oven.
• Replace your old refrigerator. New units of the same size use half as much energy as those made 20 years ago.
• Clean refrigerator coils every six months to keep it running efficiently.
• Defrost your freezer. Frost build-up makes the freezer work harder to keep your food frozen.
• Keep your refrigerator full enough to maximize cooling power, but don't stock it so full that the air can't circulate.
• Make sure the seal on your refrigerator door is tight. If you can easily slide a dollar bill through it when it is closed, the gaskets should be replaced.
• Run only full loads in the dishwasher. To save energy on the dry cycle, use the air dry cycle or open the door to let air circulate.
• Purchase energy star rated appliances.
• When planning a new kitchen, don't put the refrigerator next to any other appliances. Appliances need buffers around them so they operate correctly and efficiently.
• When replacing windows, be sure to research those that will save the most energy. Choose windows that have a low U-value (lower than .35) to maximize insulating qualities.
• Replace your wood front door with one made of fiberglass. Fiberglass offers up to five times more protection from cold than traditional wood doors.