CHARLOTTE — The kitchen is often the busiest room in the house and one of the most expensive. From energy use to food prices, it all adds up, but Consumer Reports has some easy fixes that can help you save.
Every time you turn on the faucet, run the dishwasher, or open the fridge, it costs money.
“A lot of your energy is probably going to your kitchen, and making some small changes there could help you see some real savings,” Consumer Reports’ Dan Wroclawski said.
[ ALSO READ >> Reduce costs and energy consumption with these laundry tips ]
Start saving by following the old advice: Don’t stand there staring into the refrigerator with the doors wide open. Consumer Reports says to get in and get out, keeping the cold air inside, and don’t overfill your fridge.
“Overstuffing it with food can actually cause it to work harder and use more energy, and therefore cost more money because it has to pump more cold air around the food to keep it cold,” Wroclawski said. “That also can put more wear and tear on the appliance.”
Consumer Reports also recommends brushing or vacuuming your refrigerator’s condenser coils every six months or so to get rid of dust.
At the sink, soak your dirty pots and pans instead of scrubbing them with running water, or even better, put them in the dishwasher.
“More modern or newer dishwashers are incredibly energy-efficient. They will always save you more water compared to hand-washing your dishes,” Consumer Reports’ Pang-Chieh Ho said. “You just have to make sure that when you’re using your dishwasher, you’re loading it correctly, and to do that, you can check your owner’s manual beforehand.”
Consumer Reports says it’s not even necessary to rinse your dishes. Instead, just scrape them and put them in the dishwasher.
“Nearly all of them these days have soil sensors, so what that does is they’ll assess how dirty the dishes are, and then adjust the wash cycle accordingly,” Ho said.
You can also cut your energy bill while cooking by keeping the full-sized oven off and using a microwave, air fryer or toaster oven. They use a lot less power and won’t heat up your kitchen on a hot day.
VIDEO: ‘Sticker shock’: Tips to save on groceries amid rising prices
This browser does not support the video element.