Kitchen

Refrigerator | Freezer | Dishwasher | Microwave | Ovens and Cooking Surfaces

Energy Usage Chart

Refrigerator

Energy Saving Tips:
Make sure your refrigerator is set between 38 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit (°F); your freezer should be set at 5°F. If temperatures are set any colder, you'll be wasting energy and money. Cleaning the coils will improve your refrigerator's efficiency by up to 10%. Unplugging a second refrigerator that is not in use will save $8 per month - or more.

Operating Expense:
An 18-cubic-foot, standard frost-free refrigerator costs $15.19 per month to operate, while an 18-cubic-foot, high-efficiency frost-free refrigerator costs $8.60 per month to operate. An automatic icemaker costs approximately 2 cents per day to operate.

Proper Selection:

Sizing: When determining the appropriate refrigerator size for your home, the rule of thumb is 8 to 10 cubic feet of refrigerator compartment space for two adults, plus another cubic foot of space for each additional family member.

Efficiency: The type and amount of insulation the unit has, combined with the efficiency of the fan motor, condenser and other internal features, will determine the level of energy efficiency you can expect.

Determine the unit size that suits your requirements, then compare Energy Guide labels on different brands and models. Also reference buying guides, such as "Consumer's Guide to Home Energy Savings," "Consumer Reports," etc.

Freezer

Energy Saving Tip:
Your freezer should be set at 5°F. It will use less energy if you keep it full.

Operating Expense:
A 16-cubic-foot freezer costs about $9.70 per month to operate, while a 16.5-cubic-foot frost-free refrigerator costs about $15.70 per month to operate.

Proper Selection:
There are no significant efficiency differences between different brands of new freezers of similar size and style. However, newer models (those built since 1993) are significantly more efficient than older models.

Types: Self-defrosting models are more convenient, but they require more energy to operate. Chest freezers use less electricity than upright freezers. Buy the freezer size that best suits your family's needs. Buying too large a freezer will result in unnecessarily higher energy costs.

Selection: When buying a freezer, consult the Energy Guide labels and reference consumer buying guides, such as "Consumer's Guide to Home Energy Savings," "Consumer Reports," etc.

Dishwasher

Energy Saving Tips:

According to the Association of Appliance Manufacturers, a fully-loaded dishwasher uses less energy than would be required if the same amount of dishes were washed by hand.

     Wash full loads whenever possible.

     If available, use energy-saving cycles.

     If your dishwasher has a heater, turn the temperature on your water heater down to 120°F.

Operating Expense:
According to the Association of Appliance Manufacturers, a fully loaded dishwasher will use less energy than would be required if the same amount of dishes were hand-washed. A 1200-watt dishwasher run on the normal setting costs about 50 cents per load.

Buying Tips:
The initial price of a dishwasher is, of course, a major factor in your buying decision. But, when shopping for a new machine, you should consider additional factors, such as a model's performance, dependability, and energy-savings features.

Consumer buying guides can be a big help in the decision-making process.

Microwave

Energy Saving Tips:
Use your microwave oven whenever possible; it uses only about half the energy of a conventional oven. Keep the inside surface of the unit clean to allow for more efficient cooking.Microwave Oven Energy Saving Tips
Proper Selection
Types of Microwaves

Operating Expense:
A standard 1.1 cubic-foot, 1200-watt microwave oven only costs about 12 cents per hour to operate.

Proper Selection:
Determining what size microwave to buy depends on your personal needs and preferences. The size will basically determine the power. Typically, larger units have greater power and consume more energy.

Once you determine the size you want, compare the Energy Guide labels on the various models. Also reference consumer buying guides, such as "Consumer's Guide to Home Energy Savings," "Consumer Reports," etc.

Types of Microwaves:
There are a wide variety of microwave ovens available to consumers. When purchasing a microwave, first determine how you'll be using it (i.e., re-heating, cooking, etc.), the size (capacity) and how much counter or under-cabinet space you have for it.

Compact microwave units are .8 cubic feet or less and generate between 600 to 700 watts. Large microwave units are .8 to 1.1 cubic feet and generate 800 to 900 watts. Family microwave units are 1.4 cubic feet or more and generate between 900 and 1000 watts.

Ovens and Cooking Surfaces

Energy Saving Tips:

     Plan meals so you can cook several items at once.

     Avoid preheating when possible.

     Save time and money by using the self-cleaning feature after you've cooked a meal.

     To reduce the amount of cooking time required, defrost frozen foods prior to cooking.

Operating Expense:
A 3200-watt electric oven costs about 32 cents per hour to operate. The large burners cost about 24 cents per hour, and the smaller burners cost about 13 cents per hour.

Types of Ovens: There are numerous types of ovens and cooking surfaces that operate on a variety of energy sources, such as electric, gas, propane, etc.

Conventional ovens, which operate on electricity and gas, are the most common.

Electric Ovens

Electric ovens come in a wide range of models with different heating element styles.
• Exposed Coils are the most common type of burners on the market. They're heat very quickly and provide good contact between the pan and the burner.

• Solid Disk Elements, as the name implies, look like circular disks and are easier to clean and more attractive than coil elements.

• Radiant Elements under ceramic glass offer excellent access for cleaning, those they require more time to heat than do conventional coil elements.

• Halogen Elements utilize halogen lamps under ceramic glass as a heat source; the lamps deliver instant heat and respond quickly to changes in the temperature setting.

Gas Ranges

Gas ranges cost approximately 10% more than electric ranges, but cooking with gas often costs less than cooking with electricity. There are two common types of gas range ovens:

Standard Oven - Heated air flows upward from the burners through the cooking zone to bake the food. The heat and air then flow out of the oven vent.

Convection Oven - A fan circulates hot air around the food in the oven cavity. The fan forces some of the heated air downward from the top of the oven, re-circulates it through the oven. Convection ovens cook food faster, at lower temperature and with less electricity.

Today's efficient gas ranges have several important features to save you energy:
• Improved insulation
• Pilotless (automatic ignition) systems, that use about half as much energy as electric ranges and cost up to 30% less to operate than older gas ranges with continuously burning pilots
• Instant heating starts the cooking process immediately and saves time
• Less maintenance, with no electric elements to burn out

The average energy saving of a gas range over an electric range is approximately $20 per year.

Proper Selection:
Keep in mind that self-cleaning ovens are more energy efficient due to the added insulation required in these models.

Energy Guide labels and consumer buying guides can provide insights into quality and reliability to help in the decision-making process.

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