Is your home ready for Thanksgiving? While you enjoy turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pies, your home and heating equipment are working extra hard to deal with the increased energy usage. More people coming in and out of your home, extra cooking and more digital devices to charge all impact your energy usage – and your wallet.
Give your home a break with these easy, efficient, energy-saving costs.
Turn down the thermostat
With all the action inside the kitchen, your home will reap some benefits. The heat from the kitchen and the extra people in your house will heat your rooms, so you can take your thermostat down a few degrees.
Maximize the oven
As tempting as it might be, once you start baking in the oven, keep the door closed! Opening the door for a glimpse of your dinner can set the temperature back 20 degrees, causing your oven to then use much more energy to keep up.
Dress appropriately
Instead of cranking up the thermostat while you’re on the couch watching football, add a blanket or two to stay warm. Your furnace and energy bill will thank you for wearing heavier clothing and adding blankets on instead of adjusting the thermostat.
Utilize the stove
While most Thanksgiving dishes tend to be cooked in the oven, it’s a good idea to use your stovetop as well – it uses less energy!
Let leftovers cool completely
After you eat your fill, store your leftovers in glass, airtight containers and let them cool off completely before placing them in your refrigerator. Putting them in the refrigerator still hot will affect the resting temperature of the fridge, and it will have to work harder to reach the ideal cool temperature.
Use the dishwasher
Dinner was enjoyed, everyone is full, and football is on – but in the kitchen, dishes are piling up. Using dishwashers save time and money because, with handwashing, we usually keep the hot water running way too long. According to Energy.gov, not only does it use less than half the energy, but the dishwasher also saves on water use.