The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-11-10, Page 50is
Kitchen good place to start
. from page 2
ften and consume more
nergy to keep the cold level
au want. This will tend to
duce the life of the motor so
at within a few years you'll
'ther have to replace the
otor or the entire unit. Your
'tial saving on a cheaper
odel can be swallowed
up in and
igher energycosts
orter life.
Ask yourself if you really
eed a butter warmer,
rusheduch frillsenThey ser aal
all
onsume extrao
Whereefrigerator or
y
eezer is located has a lot to
witeh eltit rfo
Pliethesemajor
ppliapboth nces away from the
itchen stove, direct sunlight
dheat vents,
Leave enough space around
e unit so you have a good
rculation of air. If there
n't enough space, the heat
enerated can't escape and
is puts a strain on the
oking system.
Condenser coils on the
frigerator should be kept
ean. Dirt acts as an in-
lator and makes the
mpressor work longer to
eep the proper temperature.
se a vacuum cleaner to pull
t dirt. (Condenser coils are
ually on the back, oc-
sionally on the bottom.)
The door should be airtight
cold air can't escape.
Otherwise, both the com-
pressor and your furnace
have to work harder to
correct two problems.
Check the seal by closing
the door on a piece of paper.
If you can pull it out easily the
rubber gasket should be
replaced. Read your owner's
manual to see if you can fix it
yourself; if not call a ser-
viceman.
The frost build-up in a
refrigerator or freezer should
not -exceed IA inch. Ice
reduces the cooling power by
acting as unwanted in-
sulation. Defrost regularly.
Don't set the temperature
any colder than you need.
If you tell your children a
little more about energy
conservation, it may help
them understand why you
keep nagging them to shut the
refrigerator door. Especially
important in summer.
The refrigerator works best
when it isn't overcrowded.
There must be room for air
circulation inside — other-
wise the compressor will
work too hard to keep the
right temperature.
Save energy by allowing
hot foods to cool .before
putting them away.
Before you go on vacation,
clean out the refrigerator,
wipe it and turn it'off. It's also
a good idea to leave the door
ajar; if the light stays on,
unscrew it.
Shoot the heck
out of
rising fuel bills
NOW
with
foam insulation
WHERE HEAT ESCAPES IN
A TYPICAL TWO STORY HOME
Walls 37%
r14%
Infiltration
Source: American Society Heating, Refrigeration, Air
Conditioning Engineers Handbook of Fundamentals
For an estimate of
your insulation needs
call Bayfield 5652633
Bluewater
Insulatio n
Ltd.
Insulspray is a registered
trademark of Borden, Inc.
The dishwasher has
become a popular item in the
kitchen — especially, with
teenagers who can escape
clean-up duty.
Instead of elbow grease it
uses electrical energy and a
good deal more hot water.
The energ}%onsumed by the
washer itself (not including
hot water) amounts to about
300 kilowatt hours per year
depending on how it's used.
Here are° some ways to
economize:
Your dishwasher is most
economical at full capacity.
Don't use it for a few plates
and forks. Save them up
(rinse if necessary) and do a
full load at the end of the day.
Follow your manufac-
turer's recommendation for
loading and use of detergent.
It will run more efficiently
and your dishes will be
cleaner.
Pre -scraped dishes can be
washed on a shorter cycle.
And you don't have to worry
about food particles hurting
the machine's performance.
The dishwasher.has a
heater element to dry the
dishes after , the wash is'
completed. Stop the cycle
before the element comes on
and open the door. The hot.
dishes will dry themselves
and you'll save some elec-
tricity.
Some people use the heater
element of the dishwasher to
warm dinner plates for
serving. Use the oven's heat
instead.
Most modern kitchens have
an assortment of small ap-
pliances, as well as the
standard stove and
refrigerator. Sometimes they
make contributions to energy
conservation. Often they fall
into a wasteful category of
electrical gadgets.
Use small, efficient ap-
pliances. Fry pans, toasters
and kettles are more efficient
than the stove for small jobs.
Example: the pop-up toaster
is three times more efficient
for toasting bread than the
oven grill.
Kettles — Clean out scale.
Pilaf 5
Hard -water deposits inside a
kettle can reduce heat
transfer. Clean them out
periodically.
Boil only as much as you
need. Don't boil a full kettle
for one cup of coffee.
'Toasters -- Clean out
crumbs and burnt -on
deposits. You'll get better
performance.
Check filaments. Have a
look at the heating filaments
from time to time to be sure
they're not broken. (Unplug
the toaster first!)
Not too dark. If you're
willing to eat light and
medium -brown toast, you'll
save a little energy.
Frying pans — Check
temperature. Check the
accuracy of your tem-
perature control. Set it for 212
degrees F (100 degrees C)
and see if water boils. If it's
cooler than the setting, have a
repairman look at it.
Multi -use. You can use
small aluminum -foil dividers
to cook several foods at one
time.
Eat up less electricity.
Check the door seal.
Close the door on a piece of paper.
If you can pull it out easily, the gasket
needs to be replaced.
Keep your pots and °
pans bright and shiny.
They'll cook faster.
In the oven, use glass
or ceramic utensils• .
This will allow you
to reduce the oven
temperature by
as•much as 25°. •
Use your toaster, and
other small appliances,
whenever possible. They
use less electricity than
your oven or range.
When you put food
in the refrigerator, place
it so that air will
circulaterfreely.
These are a fe,,ways you
can save electricity in your
kitchen. Small ways ... but
they add up. If we each
save a little, we'll all
save a lot!
your hydro 4it
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Choose cooking utensils
that fit the elements
properly. Pots and pans
with straight sides,
flat bottoms, and tightly
fitting lids make best
use of heat.
Avoid opening the
oven door while food is
cooking. Each time you
do, you lose about
20% of the heat.
GODERICH PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION