Curbing Your Consumption:
Recipe for Kitchen Cuts
By John Ford and David Chernushenko
The biggest single user of energy in the kitchen, and often in the
house, is the refrigerator. A fridge older than ten years may be using
four or more times a new model. Advances in technology and breakdown
of insulation cause the difference. Keep sealed containers of water in
your fridge to use up empty space and prevent loss of cool air when
the door is opened. If you can, put the fridge next to the coolest
wall in the kitchen and away from the stove to improve the efficiency.
Your microwave is not always the most efficient way to heat. A plug-in
kettle uses about two-thirds the power to boil water as a pan or
stove-top kettle. A microwave uses double the energy.
Changing your cooking habits can net savings. Adding a lid to a pot
reduces the energy required to maintain the same heat level. Using a
thinner pasta like capellini cuts boiling time and energy down by as
much as 66%.
Let washing dishes by hand become a family social event and leave the
dishwasher idle. Run it once a month though to maintain the seals.
John Ford is a technology consultant, and owner of a small energy
conservation business. He has won the Green Party nomination in Ottawa
South for the upcoming federal election.
David Chernushenko is a sustainability advisor to business,
governments and homeowners and the federal Green Party candidate for
Ottawa Centre