6 ways to make your kitchen more eco-friendly

Image by NW Concrete Interiors LLC

Of all the rooms in the home, the kitchen is the one place that uses the lion’s share of household energy. It houses our fridge, washer and oven in addition to a handful of smaller appliances, and if we let them these can sap energy (and money) at an alarming rate.

Fortunately, by making a few small changes it is possible to significantly cut your carbon emissions in the kitchen without putting a dent in your daily routine. Here are 5 simple ways you can make your kitchen a more efficient and earth-friendly place.

Upgrade to green appliances

When it comes to replacing your white goods like the fridge or washing machine - go green and don’t look back! Introducing energy efficient appliances into your home is the most important eco measure you can take and marks the first step towards lowering your energy usage and - gradually - seeing a significant drop in your monthly energy bills.

Better still, many green appliance retailers will offer to recycle your old model for you, allowing you to upgrade to energy-efficient models as and when you need without worrying that you may be adding to landfill waste.

Don’t preheat

So many food packets print a recommendation to ‘preheat’ our ovens beforehand but this is highly unnecessary and only wastes valuable energy. The majority of modern ovens are designed to heat up quickly and will not always require a warm-up before cooking, so only turn your oven on at the appropriate times.

Only wash a full load

We may not realise it but a lot of us waste bundles of energy and money each time we put a wash of clothes on. Why? Because often, we only fill our washing machines to half their capacity. Performing multiple small washes wastes kilos of washing powder every year and wastes valuable time and energy. Change your washing habits and wash full loads on a lower heat setting such as 30°C - this will clean clothes just as well and will help to reduce the amount of energy you use, cutting your monthly energy bills as you go.

Keep fridge/freezer doors shut

It’s tempting to leave the fridge door open if we are only retrieving some milk or juice for a drink but it is vital for the longevity of your fridge freezer appliance that you keep the doors closed in between trips to the fridge (however brief). When you leave your fridge or freezer door open for longer than 20 seconds or so, it can take up to half an hour for the inside temperature to restore back to normal and every time you do so, this puts an extra strain on the motor.

Leaving the door open doesn’t just waste energy, it risks burning your fridge motor out altogether so be sure to treat it with care.

Fix a leaky tap

Did you know that leaving a leaky tap to drip for one week wastes enough water to fill a bath? Yet some households do not rush to fix a leaky tap or even turn it off every now and again. Allow your kitchen taps to leak and you are literally pouring money down the drain. Be sure to fix taps at the first sign of a leak to conserve precious drinking water and preserve the pennies too.

Repair, don’t replace

Of course, when one of your kitchen appliances stops working then instead of immediately assuming the worse and heading out to replace it first take a look at our DIY appliance repair guides and Common appliance problems page. You’ll be surprised just how easy common faults are to diagnose and repair yourself. And if you need a spare part to fix the problem Ransom Spares are here to help!

By Lee Gilbert

Category: Articles, News & Tips