Even a few small changes to your daily home life can add up to worthwhile savings for both your bank account and the environment. Most of these ideas are inexpensive and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. As the cliche goes, “Every little bit helps!” Try these ideas to save energy in the kitchen:

Upgrade to Energy Efficient Appliances
As your appliances age and need replacing, switch to the most energy-efficient models you can find. They may cost a little more to buy, but over their lifetimes the energy savings will be considerable.

Energy-Efficient Cooking
Always use a lid when boiling water or cooking on the stovetop. Otherwise, a large amount of the energy you use will warm the air instead of heating the food or water. During the summer months, consider using a microwave or cooking outside to avoid heating the house.

Cool Foods Before Refrigerating
Let hot foods cool before putting it into the fridge. This is important for hygiene, but it also reduces the work your fridge needs to do and so cuts its energy use.

Only Run a Full Dishwasher
If you have a dishwasher, only run it when it's full rather than after every meal. Also, use it on the lowest setting you can that still gives good results. You can improve its performance by scraping your plates well before loading the machine.

Keep a Full Freezer
A full freezer takes less energy to keep frozen than an empty one. When storing food in your deep freeze, pack it together as neatly as you can. The more gaps there are between your freezer's contents, the harder it is to maintain a low temperature.

Compost Your Kitchen Scraps
Start composting kitchen scraps instead of throwing it into the garbage. Use nutritious compost to fertilize your garden, and reduce waste going to the landfill.