Top Kitchen Tips to Save on Gas and Electricity Bills

More energy is wasted in the kitchen than in any other part of the house. Despite the popularity of the huge plasma TV screens, our increasing reliance on computers and more electrical convenience appliances than you can shake a stick at, the kitchen remains the main source of energy usage and wastage.

Part of the problem is that many of the appliances we use save time, and therefore the convenience of the appliance often overrides any concern we might have about the amount of gas and electricity used by those appliances. By weaning yourself off unnecessary domestic appliances in the kitchen, and using the essential appliances only when you really need to, you can save a lot of money on your gas and electricity bills.

A key example of this principle in action is with your dishwasher. Dishwashers undoubtedly save time and effort from the tedium of washing up your cutlery and crockery. However, even energy efficient dishwashers can be quite wasteful if not used effectively. To avoid spending gas and electricity needlessly, you can reduce you dependence on your dishwasher.

Firstly, only run the dishwasher when it is full. If you only have half a load, either wash it by hand or wait until the next meal when you can run the machine at maximum capacity. Putting a half load of dishes through the dishwasher uses exactly the same amount of energy but with only half the benefit, so maximise what you get out of your machine.

You can also help the dishwasher by rinsing off bits of food and some of the more stubborn stains by hand in cold water. This doesn't really cost you much extra time when packing the dishes away but will stop your dishwasher filter getting clogged and will help the appliance run as efficiently as possible. By giving the dishes a quick rinse by hand, you can also turn off the pre-rinse function on the machine and you can afford to run you dishwasher on a lower temperature setting for a shorter time. These three functions will reduce the amount of energy you consume each time you wash the dishes.

Similar rules can be adhered to with other appliances. Ask yourself whether you really need to use your electric carving knife, when a traditional blade will do. Must you switch on the blender, when you could do some of the work beforehand by chopping things up on a board? You can save on your gas bills by heating something quickly in a microwave, rather than firing up your gas cooker.

All in all, by only using appliances when you really need them in the kitchen, you can cut a lot of unnecessary wastage from your gas and electricity consumption.