» There's a whole lot of cooking going on...
Meanwhile the air conditioning runs nonstop to cool the kitchen. To avoid this, a lot of folks cook outside in the summer, eat more fruits and salads, eat later in the evening..........or use a microwave oven! For the same cooking job, a microwave costs far less than half as much to operate as a standard electric oven, and doesn't heat the kitchen. Here's a comparison of costs to cook a meatloaf, from a study by Northeast Utilities (adjusted to our utility rates):

» Never boil water in an open pan...
It boils sooner and over less heat in a covered vessel. Once boiling, keep it rolling with as low as heat as possible.

» Clean range top burners and reflectors...
produce more heat with less energy.

» Don't put small pans on large heating elements...
or (on gas stoves) let the flame exceed diameter of pan. Heat missing the pot bottom is lost to the air.

» Turn off heating elements of electric stoves
shortly before cooking time is up. They'll stay hot long enough to finish the job without using more electricity.

» Don't open the oven door to "peek and poke",
it wastes heat. Use a timer for baking and roasting.

» Small electric fry pans and grills...
use less energy than a range or oven for small meals. A toaster uses less power than the oven or grill for family toast.

» Don't wash dishes under hot running water...
or you'll be throwing away gallons of costly heated water. Close the drain, fill the sink with warm water and detergent, and rinse with a hot spray in the dish drainer.