Green Kitchen
Apart from possibly our televisions and PC's, the appliances in our kitchens are the ones we use most. Up to half of our total energy usage is down to the various cookers, kettles, toasters, washing machines and tumble dryers we have in our houses. There is obviously no real way to reduce the amount of times we cook or clean, but there are ways to make the our kitchen appliances work more efficiently when we do use them.
Cooking
If you could somehow completely stop cooking, you would save up to 10% of your total household energy consumption, and therefore reduce your energy bills by 10%. Whilst this is not possible (unless you have the money to eat out for enery meal), it is possible to cook more efficiently.
Pressure Cooker
Old pressure cookers were slightly scary things that hissed and bubbled alarmingly. Modern pressure cookers still hiss and bubble, but have numerous safety measures built in and somehow seem less likely to fountain your food all over the kitchen ceiling. Pressure cookers cook at very high temperatures, but take much less time to cook the food inside. Even considering the higher heat, energy consumption is much reduced.
Saucepan Stack
Certain meals can be cooked using a three-tier saucepan stack, meaning you only have to use one cooker ring instead of three. This obviously saves energy usage, but we admit that it is not ideal for all types of meal.
Microwave
TV chefs would cringe at the thought, but modern microwaves are a very viable alternative to cooking on a standard cooker. Many people only use their microwave to reheat things and cook ready meals, but a good microwave cookbook will show you all sorts of new possibilities. You could also save up to 80% of the energy a cooker would use.
Saucepans
Always try to use the lids when cooking in saucepans. Keeping the lid in place increases the heat inside the pan and will speed up the cooking time for most things. This will in turn save energy.
Energy Ratings
Appliances such as washing machines and tumble dryers are now all rated for energy efficiency.
At a glance you can see how efficient (or not) any new appliance is and should make your purchases accordingly. Energy efficiency is now a major selling point and unfortunatly you will generally pay more for A-Rated appliances. Personally, we think A-Rated appliances should be subsidised by the government so that the prices could be brought way down (particularly as the government are supposedly so keen to get us all saving energy). However, this is unlikely to happen any time soon, and choosing to pay the premium for efficency is a choice we have to make.
If you can possibly afford to, always buy A-Rated appliances. It is obviously better for the environment and your initial extra outlay will soon be earned back as A-Rated appliances can cost as much as 50% less to run compared to F or G-Rated appliances. An A-Rated washing machine doing five washes a week will cost approximately £30 to run, whilst a G-Rated machine doing the same amount of washes could cost as much as £50!
Simple things...
There are several things you can do to make your kitchen a greener place, without having to buy new appliances or equipment.
- Compost your food waste. Composting food keeps it out of landfill and can be used to grow your own fruit and veg. Only compost uncooked food, and avoid composting eggs and meat, as these can attract vermin.
- Try to open fridges and freezers as little as possible and never leave the door open for more than a few seconds. Both will have to use more energy to bring the temperature back down. The same applies to cookers, if the door is opened too often the temperature will drop and the cooker will have to increase energy use to raise it again.
- Match your pan to the right size cooker ring whenever possible. This will make the most efficient use of the energy used.
- Try to use less clingfilm and kitchen paper. Buy a few sealable food containers for leftovers and use a cotten cloth to wipe up spills. If you use kitchen paper, make sure you add it to the compost.
