Five energy-saving tips to gobble up this Thanksgiving

With cooking appliances put to extra use, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to think about energy-saving in the kitchen.

Have you ever thought about how much power you use during Thanksgiving? There’s the oven. Stove. Microwave. What about the dishwasher? And the refrigerator?  Appliance after appliance, it all adds up very quickly.

The American Farm Bureau Federation reported that the average energy cost of this year’s feast for 10 people is just over $50. Just imagine how much energy you’re spending while cooking for four to six hours without stopping?  According to the Department of Energy, appliances already account for about 13 percent of an average American household’s energy costs. Refrigeration and cooking are at the top of the list.

With the hustle and bustle of the day, it’s easy to forget to be mindful about conserving energy. This week, we’ve compiled a list of ways you can reduce energy consumption and save money this Thanksgiving.

1. While using the oven, turn on the oven light to check the cooking status. Each time you open the door, the temperature inside drops by as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit.. This makes the oven work twice as hard, which wastes energy and increases cooking time.
2. Wash full loads of dishes in the dishwasher. Small loads waste water and energy. Whether it’s half-full or completely full, the dishwasher uses the same amount of water for every use. Also, scrape your plates but don’t pre-rinse. Consumer Reports found that pre-rinsing wastes more than 6,000 gallons of water per household each year.
3. Cabinet-mounted lights, ceiling-lights and recessed can lights in the kitchen stay on and unnoticed for long periods of time. Replace your light fixtures and bulbs with ENERGY STAR Certified lighting products that use 75 percent less energy and generates 70 percent less heat.
4. Invest in glass or ceramic cookware to cook your food faster and efficiently. Glass and ceramic pans are highly conductive and heat up faster. Your food still cooks in the same amount of time and you can lower the oven cooking temperature by 25 degrees.
5. Allow your hot foods to cool before refrigerating, and make sure they are covered or wrapped. Also, adjust your refrigerator thermostat to the recommended temperatures between 35 degrees and 38 degrees.

We hope you apply these simple and low-cost energy tips to your home. You can also learn how to get innovative financing for energy efficiency improvements to your home through our Be SMART Home Loan program. Be SMART offers flexible financing of up to $25,000 for eligible homeowners.

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