World Energy Efficiency Day is celebrated on 5 March, a day which aims to raise society’s awareness of the need to make a reasonable and sustainable use of energy.
At OB Cocinas we are joining this initiative to share with you some tips to save electricity in the kitchen and reduce your energy consumption. Let's go!
Save money with your electrical appliances
The everyday use we make of the kitchen is full of small actions which, without us noticing, add pennies on to our electricity bill.
Using the oven. Don't let it cost you
It is one of our favourite kitchen appliances, but also the one which consumes the most electricity. For this reason, before using it, consider whether the microwave, which uses a lot less power and is much faster, may be suitable for the task.
If you are heating a very small amount of food, try not to use it either. Or if you do, make full use of the time it is switched on to cook two dishes (for example, to roast peppers while cooking a lasagne).
Forget pre-heating if it is not strictly necessary, and switch off the oven 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time to take advantage of the residual heat.
Hobs
The first tip is, if you haven't already installed a hob, to go for a induction one as they consume a lot less.
If you have glass-topped ceramic hob, we recommend you take advantage of the residual heat by switching it off 5-10 minutes before you finish cooking.
To save energy when using either type of hob, don’t forget put a lid on pans to conserve the heat.
Extractor hoods
There is a simple trick here: always keep the filters clean so your extractor hood can work correctly. You will then be able to use a lower speed for the extractor fan, which is much more economical.
Dishwashers
A classic mistake: washing by hand when you have a dishwasher. A dishwasher consumes much less water (and electricity if you use hot water to wash-up) than washing-up by hand.
Just don't forget to remove any leftover food and load it as full as possible.
Fridge
Number one rule: never put hot food into the fridge, as it will use more energy to cool it down.
Also think before opening and closing it. This action could save a lot of electricity.
Finally, check that there is a sufficiently sized gap between the fridge and wall to ensure it is correctly ventilated and avoid extra electricity use.
Take advantage of natural light
If you are thinking about completely renovating your kitchen, this is the tip for you. When it comes to planning the space and laying out work areas, keep the natural light in mind. Where is the window? Where else does natural light enter from? Is it possible to open up the kitchen into the living room to gain more light? Remember that natural light is not only free, but is also the least damaging form of white light for our eyes.
If the kitchen area is not very well illuminated, we suggest you optimise it by choosing light coloured kitchen units, and painting the walls ceiling white so they reflect the light.
Study the lighting in your kitchen
If you are not planning to renovate your kitchen, it doesn’t matter, we still have some tips for you!
Begin by pausing to consider the current lighting... Does it meet your daily needs? Maybe it’s the time to stop using the main light and opt for spotlights, which will save you money and create a cosier feel.
Here is a simple example: at night you go to the kitchen for a glass of water.... do you really need the full illumination from the main light? In this situation, a good solution is to put lighting underneath high units to light up the worktop or, if you fancy, put lights with a motion sensor inside the kitchen units (such as our LED Sensor) system.
Once you have studied the electrical lighting in your kitchen, regardless of the design you choose, what you must do is replace incandescent or halogen bulbs with LEDs, which can save up to 80%.