A considerable amount of electric energy is used in lighting, refrigeration, cooking, water - heating and air conditioning. It is important to know how to operate these appliances more efficiently in order to reduce electricity consumption. Please, follow carefully the instructions given below and you can reduce your electrical bills considerably.

Household appliances such as refrigerators, deep freezers, air conditioners, TV etc. have become an integral part of modern life. The power rating of these equipment is not high but misuse could lead to energy waste.
Computers, printers and typewriters used in offices also have low energy rating. However, if left on when not in use for a long time, could lead to high energy consumption. Switch them off when you are not using them.

Cooking

1. Use the smallest pan necessary to do the job. Smaller pans require less energy.
2. Match the pan size to the element size. A 15cm pan on a 20cm burner will waste over 40% of the heat produced by the burner. The most efficient utensils are those with straight sides an flat bases because contact with the unit.
3. To prevent utensils from developing round bases do not immerse hot utensils in cold or lukewarm water.
4. The lids of all utensils should be tight-fitting.
5. Consider medium weight aluminum utensils with bright, shinny exteriors. They heat quickly and provide good heat distribution.
6. Keep the burner pans which accumulate oil, clean and shiny, so that they will be more effective at reflecting heat up to the utensil. Blackened burner pans absorb a lot of heat, reducing burner efficiency.
7. Turn off the burner just before the end of the cooking. The burner will continue to radiate heat for a little white.
8. To reduce cooking time, defrost frozen foods before cooking.
9. When the oven is being pre-heated for baking, keep the preheat time to a minimum and set the control at the temperature needed for the baking.
10. Food cooks more quickly and more efficiently when air can circulate freely. Thus when possible, stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve air flow if you are baking in more than one pan.
11. Avoid overcooking, which not only spoils the taste and reduces nutritional value, but also wastes energy.
12. Use the full oven capacity when possible.
13. Do not open the oven door for frequent peeping. Each time the door is opened, a significant amount of heat escapes, food takes longer to cook and energy is wasted.
14. If you have a self-cleaning oven, use this feature only once in a while, and just after you have cooked a meal - that way the oven will still be hot and the cleaning feature will require less energy.
15. For a new cooker consider the one which incorporates a fan to circulate the hot air. This feature reduces energy consumption by 20% compared with the standard ones.


Water Heating

1. For a kettle, heat just the right quantity of water needed after ensuring that there is sufficient water to cover the heating element. Do not boil a kettle full of water just to make one or two cups of tea!
2. Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.
3. Turn off hot water faucets tightly to prevent dripping.
4. In large homes and buildings, it is better to provide one heater in each principal water-using area instead of one heater in a central place. This will result in shorter pipe runs, so that less water stands in the pipe cooling off when not in use.