Energy Efficient Oven
Selection of an eco friendly oven can save considerable energy in the home. Check out this article for selection guidelines.
When it comes to cooking, we're looking for two things. First and most importantly, you want to make sure that you have an energy efficient oven, or that you are taking steps to make the one that you currently own as efficient as possible.
A lot of this has to do with how you cook. Even if your actual unit isn't the most eco friendly model on the market, there are still things that you can do to reduce the total amount of electricity that you use while saving energy in the home.
Later, we'll talk about what to look for when choosing a new unit, but first, let's learn how to use the one you've already got!
Reduce the time spent preheating your oven. Many people don't realize it, but in most cases, you don't need to preheat the oven before putting your food in. The most notable exception would be when you are baking bread or pastries.
However, if you are throwing in a pizza or a casserole, you can add the food as soon as you turn on the oven. It may take a little longer to cook your food since the oven heat ups while your food is in it, but you'll use less energy overall.
Take a Break From The Oven When The Weather is Good
Get outdoors in the summer. An energy efficient oven is one that is turned off! Instead of heating up your house by cooking large meals in the summer months, use your stove top, or better yet - grill outdoors.
You'll save energy by not using your unit. The oven also heats up the house, so you'll save additional energy if you are using your air conditioning as it has to work harder as the house gets hot.
Allow air to flow freely in the inside of your oven. Your food will cook faster if air can move around in the oven. Keep foil off of your oven racks and if you are cooking more than one item at the same time, try to stagger them.
Make your oven do double duty. If you are cooking more than one item, try to cook them at the same time. In many instances, you can use your oven for more than one dish at a time.
Look but don't open! When foods are cooking, it's best to leave the door closed. Every time you open your oven door, you allow the temperature to drop by about 25 degrees. Use your timer or turn on the light in the oven to check foods instead of opening the door.
Only use the oven when you have to. Using a microwave is more energy efficient than an oven. The same is true for a toaster oven. If you are cooking small amounts of food, don't feel like you have to use the oven for something that could just as easily be warmed up in a microwave or toaster oven - use the smallest possible appliance for each job.
Only Open Door When Necessary
- Use the proper size pans on stove tops. It's
amazing how many people put a small pan on a large burner. You waste
all kinds of energy when you do this. Make it a habit to use
small pans on small burners and large pans on large burners.
- You'll save a lot of energy by using the proper amount of
water on
the stove top. I used to fill a pot almost completely to boil
noodles and other things. However, more water takes longer to heat up,
so it's best to only use what you really need.
- Clean your oven after cooking, or even better, clean it in
the winter months. If you have a self-cleaning oven, only run
the cleaning cycle after the oven has just been used. It will take less
time to heat up for cleaning.
- If possible, keep your oven clean yourself and use your cleaning cycle during the winter months
when the heat created will also help to keep your house warm.
- Check your oven gasket to make sure that it's
tight. You can use a dollar bill in between the unit and the door. After
closing the door if the dollar pulls out easily, you can be sure that
heat is escaping as well and your gasket should be adjusted or replaced
to save energy.
Energy Star, which rates lots of appliances based on how energy efficient they are, does not have a rating program for energy efficient Ovens. It's difficult to truly make an energy efficient oven because a lot of energy is wasted before the oven even heats up.
However ,there are still things to look for as you choose a new oven that will help to ensure that you are saving as much energy in the home as possible.
Gas Makes For An Energy Efficient Oven
- If possible, buy gas. Gas is approximately three
times more efficient than electric. Gas heats up faster and costs
less.
- If you can afford it, consider buying a convection
oven. The cost of the unit is higher, but they use less energy because the
air is constantly circulated evenly throughout the unit.
- Check for Energy Guide labels. Even though you
can't purchase an oven that has an Energy Star rating, you can find
labels on ovens that will tell you how much energy they use.
This should help you to get an idea of what's best.
Look at a recent electric bill to see what you are being charged per kWh for electricity. Then multiply that number by the number on the energy star rating form that's attached to the unit that you are considering. For example, an Amana side-by-side model uses 577 kWh/year. If you pay 8 cents per kWh, this unit would cost you about $46.16 to run each year.
Solar Ovens - The Ultimate Energy Efficient Oven
Watch for solar ovens. Solar ovens are just starting to come on the scene. Currently they can only be used outdoors like this. However, they are great for camping or even using outdoors at home and they'll definitely help you save energy in the home.
Hopefully soon, we'll be able to report that there is a solar powered oven widely available for use in the house.
The bottom line is that you've got to eat. If you use your oven wisely though, you can expect to see lower energy usage as a result.
Household Appliances from Maytag, KitchenAid, Weber, Frigidaire, Toshiba, Sony, Sharp and DeLonghi
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