Depending on where you live, Thanksgiving time can be quite chilly. Chances are you’ve started to use your heating system to keep the temperature in the house comfortable. However, cooking a large amount of food, especially in the oven, will cause your house to warm up on its own. This year, try to turn down the thermostat by a few degrees while the turkey is cooking. Preparing that much food in one day will most definitely increase your electricity and energy usage, so by turning the thermostat down a few degrees, you are actively trying to reduce your usage. Let the turkey warm you up on the inside and outside!
While you are preparing the food, try to take out as many ingredients as you need from the refrigerator at once. Each time you open the fridge, the compressor runs extra long to replace the cold air that escaped while the door was opening. By reducing the amount of times you open the refrigerator, you are saving the compressor from using as much energy. Small changes like this really do help your electricity bill at the end of the month!
During the day, turn off the lights and try using the windows for some natural lighting, which will brighten up your kitchen, dining room, living room, etc. If you haven’t already, plan to change all your lights into LEDs which use less electricity. As nighttime approaches, be sure to only turn on the lights in the rooms that are being used. This is especially true if you happen to be hosting Thanksgiving or have several guests over. It may feel necessary to have all the lights on, but if there is a room that is unoccupied, turning them off will help you stay energy-efficient and prevent unnecessary energy costs.
Another tip for helping the refrigerator use less electricity is to allow your hot leftovers to cool off a bit before putting them inside the fridge. Don’t worry, letting the food cool down will not affect its delicious flavor, it will only reduce the amount of energy the refrigerator uses to keep everything chilled.
These are just a few of the many potential ways to give back to our planet and save energy this Thanksgiving. For more energy-saving tips, refer to our page here. In the spirit of giving, Meltek wants you to know that by signing up for our free program, we give you the opportunity to save energy and make money by using less electricity. We also provide you with your very own referral code that you can send to your friends and family to also give them the chance to sign up, earn $5, and start reducing energy usage. By signing up and referring your friends and family to do the same, not only are you earning money that you can put towards the holiday season, but you are also sharing the chance for others to earn and save as well!