Energy Conservation

Energy efficient living saves you money and provides you with comfort you can feel year round. Hart EMC wants you to be energy efficient so that you can lower your operating costs and improve your comfort. Remember that energy conservation can be practiced by every member of you household. To learn more about energy efficiency in your home, feel free to call a Hart EMC representative today at 800-241-4109!

Energy Efficiency in the Kitchen The largest energy users in your kitchen are the refrigerator/freezer and range. Together they can account for approximately 12 percent of your total electric bill. They are a necessary item, so what can you do? You will have to become energy efficient!

Refrigerator/Freezer

• Set the refrigerator temperature between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezer no lower than 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Open the doors as seldom as possible, closing them quickly.
• Cool foods to room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator unless otherwise noted in the recipe.
• Defrost manual refrigerators when the frost is ¼ inch thick.
• If you do not need a second refrigerator, then unplug it and have the door removed.
• Keep condenser coils clean.
• Keep the freezer portion full. This will help you to retain cold air as you open and close the door.
• Make sure you get everything out the first time you open the door. This will help to eliminate unnecessary door openings.

Range/Oven

• Only use pots and pans that fit the heating units.
• Use a flat bottom pan with a tight fitting lid.
• Don’t preheat the oven unless the recipe calls for it.
• You do not always have to preheat when you are broiling.
• Use a timer and try to avoid opening the oven door before the food is done.
• Plan meals ahead so that several foods can be cooked at one time.
• Use a pressure cooker, it can save energy and shorten cooking time.

Dishwasher and Disposer

• If you use only a few dishes a day, run the dishwasher only once a week. Washing a full load of dishes uses less water than washing them all by hand.
• Use cold water to pre-rinse dishes in the sink.
• If available, use energy saving cycles.
• Let the dishes air dry.
• Only use cold water in your garbage disposer.

Microwave

• Use when reheating leftovers
• Use to thaw out foods when time does not permit natural thawing.
• Use the microwave oven in place of the conventional oven whenever possible in the summer because the microwave does not heat up the kitchen.