Today's Energy Insight

Here are some tips for an energy efficient Thanksgiving.

• Thaw your turkey in cold water instead of the fridge (it requires more energy to keep large items cold in the refrigerator).
• Cook multiple items in the oven at the same time.  Stuff that oven so everything cooks at once and the oven doesn’t have to be on any longer than necessary. Use ceramic or glass pans.  You can turn down the oven by 25 degrees and get the same results.
• If your oven has a convection setting, use it.  It cooks more evenly, quickly, and it’s more energy efficient.
• No peeking! Keep the oven door shut so you don’t increase your cook time.  Just flip on the light and look through the window.
• Use the microwave for some of the cooking.  Microwave ovens use a fraction of the energy, compared to an oven, and cook much faster.
• Turn down the thermostat. Between the added people and all the cooking and baking, you’ll have plenty of heat in the house.
• Use the proper sized burners for your pots so you don’t waste energy.
• Cook on a gas grill instead of the oven.  They are clean burning and energy efficient.
• There’s no need to preheat the oven for the turkey.  It’s really not necessary for a long cook time.
• Don’t use the heated drying option when you run your dishwasher.  Just let the dishes air-dry.
• Let your leftovers cool before you store them, so your refrigerator doesn’t have to work as hard to cool the items.