Nowadays, "going green” is a very well known term, and it doesn’t include just bringing plants to your home or environment. Going green means energy efficiency, which is one of the most discussed topics in the world, especially in the present. To save ourselves we need to save the planet, and in order to do that – back to ourselves again. It’s in each of us to start with simple things and make a greater good by saving as much of Earth’s natural resources as possible.
An average home spends a quite a lot of energy. For sure, there is no 20th century household that doesn’t own at least 15 appliances, and these are all being used daily. These appliances that cook our foods, or keep them cool, wash and dry our clothes and do many handy tasks, make a significant proportion of our daily energy use. For instance, refrigerators and freezers are the absolute energy hogs in a household. In numbers, this means that about 14% of your electricity is being consumed by a refrigerator. This is where we need to step in with energy saving. And since it’s impractical to turn it off, we’re here to show you how to work with your refrigerator and other appliances in a more environmentally-friendly way.
Refrigerators
- Cracked rubber seals around the door should be replaced. This will prevent warm air to enter your fridge and the cool air to escape.
- Moisture from the uncovered food affects the inside temperature of a refrigerator so make sure your foods are covered.
- Prevent mold and moisture build up by cleaning the door seals regularly.
- Every once in a while, take time to defrost your refrigerator.
Ovens
- Pans placed on the right burner size will reduce cooking time and cook food more efficiently.
- Your oven doors should always close tightly.
- Ceramic and glass baking dishes will cook food more efficiently. They will also allow you to turn down the heat by 25 degrees.
- For small or medium size foods, use a microwave for cooking.
Washers
- Use as much cold water as possible.
- Avoid washing half-empty loads of laundry. Since the same amount of energy is being used in both cases, make sure you fully load your washer.
- Lighter and softer fabrics require different washing cycles, so make sure to separate your laundry by fabric.
- High-speed spin washing cycle is suggested to be used since it helps take out more moisture from the laundry and reduce drying time.
Dryers
- Make sure the lint tray is cleaned after each use.
- Same as with the washer – dry full loads of laundry, and separate fabrics (ex. cotton from synthetics)
- Also, avoid overloading the dryer, since it will use more energy than usual and your laundry may not be as dry as expected.
Dishwashers
- Again – make sure to wash full loads of dishes.
- Air-dry setting is much more energy efficient than heat-dry.
- If possible, try using short cycles more.
- Pre-rinsing food uses a lot of water. Instead you can scrape food.
