Doing Windows
Use your curtains and blinds strategically to save energy. When the sun is out, keep your curtains and blinds fully open to capture free heat. Reverse this in cold weather.
Securing your curtains to the window ledge can keep you warmer in severe cold.
Heavier drapes help slow heat loss through windows.
If you don’t have energy-efficient windows, you can install heavy-duty plastic film over them to save energy. Inexpensive kits allow you to attach the film with a hair dryer, shrinking the plastic into place.
Storm windows can reduce heat loss by as much as 50 percent, but are expensive to install. This option is best left to our Northern neighbors.
Replacing single-glazed windows with energy-efficient ones will save money, but don’t believe installers’ claims that they will pay for themselves quickly. Consumer Reports says it will take 20 years or longer to recoup your initial outlay.
When purchasing new windows, look for double glazing with gas-filled panes to prevent heat from escaping.
Lighting
Turn the lights off when you leave a room.
Use daylight instead of electricity whenever possible.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs to save about 25 percent of your lighting costs.
Use lamps with three-way settings and dimmer switches, setting them on high only when necessary.
Long-life light bulbs are not a bargain. They are the least efficient incandescent bulbs, cost more and provide less light.
“Task-lighting” such as reading and desk lamps, is cheaper than brightening the entire room.
Kitchen
Cooking with small appliances uses up to 75 percent less energy than cooking the same meal in your oven or on your stovetop.
Select “Energy Smart” (certified energy-saving products) appliances, small and large.
This includes heating and cooling systems, lighting and electronics.
Dine by candlelight.
Use only cold water to run your garbage disposal.
Better yet, add food waste to a compost bin.
Use a thermos or insulated carafe to keep tea and coffee hot rather than leaving burners
Electric can openers, carving knives, food processors and mixers all waste energy. Switch to manual.
Refrigeration
A 10-year-old fridge can use twice as much electricity as a new, energy-efficient model.
Decide what you want before you open the fridge door.
Remove everything you’ll need from the fridge at the same time, rather than opening and closing the door several times.
Cool leftovers to room temperature before putting them in the fridge or freezer.
Use clear containers for leftovers so you can easily see what is in them.
Cover liquids and wrap food before you put it in the fridge, or they will release moisture and overwork your condenser.
Leave at least 8 cm (3 inches) of space between the back of the fridge and the wall for proper circulation.
Vacuum the coils on the back of your fridge at least twice a year.
Don’t pack the fridge so tightly that cold air can’t circulate.
Replace your refrigerator and freezer seals if they aren’t airtight.
(See last week’s article “Getting the Kids Involved” for ways to determine the quality of your seals.)
Review the temperature settings on your fridge and freezer. Do you really need them to be that low?
Avoid putting your fridge or freezer right next to the oven, heating vents or in direct sunlight.
If you have an underused second fridge or freezer, unplug it.
Keep your freezer full to maximize energy use, even if this means adding milk jugs filled with water.
Manually defrost your freezer when the ice is about half a centimetre thick (about the thickness of a pencil).
Cooking
You can secure HUGE energy savings by using small appliances wherever possible. It costs a lot less to heat a toaster oven than a stove.
Over time, small appliances such as electric fry pans and slow cookers will pay for themselves through energy savings.
Again, always select “Energy Smart” certified energy-saving appliances, small and large. This includes heating and cooling systems, lighting and electronics.
Cooking on the stovetop uses less energy than baking or broiling.
Keep a lid on cookware wherever feasible.
Use the smallest pot or pan necessary. Smaller pans require less energy.
Match pots and pans to the proper burner sizes.
Use flat-bottomed cookware to maximize contact with the elements to save energy.
Keep burners and drip trays clean so they can heat better.
Cover your drip trays with foil to reflect heat toward the cooking surface and to make clean-up easier.
Use an electric kettle to boil water; it’s faster and uses less energy than a pot.
The fan over your stove can remove the heat from your entire house in about an hour.
Turn off your oven and burners just before the food is cooked to use the heat that would otherwise be wasted while the elements cool.
Pre-heating is unnecessary for food that cooks for more than one hour.
Preheat your oven for no more than 10 minutes.
Use the self-cleaning feature on your stove only immediately after cooking, when the oven is already hot, if at all.
Use the oven light to check baking progress instead of opening the door and letting the
heat out.
After your food is cooked, leave the oven door open to score free heating for your home.
Lining oven racks with foil will inhibit heat circulation.
Stagger pans on upper and lower racks.
You can reduce the usual heat setting by 4◦ C (25◦ F) when you bake in tempered glass or ceramic cookware.
Use timers and meat thermometers to avoid overcooking, spoiling your meal and wasting energy.
Keep the inside of your microwave clean to use power efficiently.
Using the microwave to defrost food wastes money.
Even faster: Unprepared frozen meat thaws quickly in cold water.
If the flames on your stove are yellow instead of blue, you’re burning gas inefficiently. Contact your natural gas provider.
Flames should never be so high that they come up the sides of the pot or pan.