As busy college students, kitchen appliances can be great timesavers for preparing meals and snacks. However, did you know that how you use appliances can greatly affect your energy usage, electricity bill, and the environment?
Energy production and use contribute greatly to air pollution, which can lead to health issues such as respiratory infection and even lung cancer. Some other negative impacts of energy waste include climate change and destruction of our environment, which both have great implications for our daily lives.
Follow these tips when using kitchen appliances to help make our planet (and your wallet) greener!
1. Unplug any appliance that is not in use to reduce the use of standby power. Even though devices may only use a little bit of energy, over time, the energy wasted can add up.
2. The refrigerator is the largest consumer of energy in most people’s kitchens. To reduce energy consumption, don’t leave the fridge door open for too long and cover any food you put in the fridge so moisture does not escape and result in more work for the fridge compressor. (It’s a bad idea to leave the door open like this.)
3. When cooking small meals, use a toaster oven to save up to half the energy a full-sized oven would use.
4. When using a full sized oven, resist the urge to open the oven door, which can lead to a temperature drop of 25 degrees. Instead, use a timer or oven light to check whether or not food is ready.
5. Match the size of the heating source and your pan/pot while cooking to avoid heat loss. The use of a six-inch pan on an eight-inch stove can result in a 40% energy loss.
We are all responsible for making this world a better/greener place to live, and the kitchen is a good place to start making that happen!
About the Blogger:
Tim is a junior majoring in Health Policy and Administration.
He is a member of the green health team in HealthWorks, a peer health education program within University Health Services.