Climate change and the recent rise of living costs has sparked a wave of concern, and the pressure is on to make eco-friendly changes to your home. However, large eco-friendly implementations are not always sustainable long-term solutions or financially viable practices. We recommend that you dip your toe in the eco-friendly pool by incorporating a few of these simple steps within your kitchen routine and habits. Within some time, you may even become a more eco-conscious household.
Photo credit to: @Simplycandikatie
1. Unplug Devices and Appliances
Devices and appliances use energy even on standby mode. Make sure to take some time to flick the controller on the wall for small items. For example, we have always advised our customers to turn off and unplug their Dualit electrical appliances (for safety reasons and now for money-saving incentives). However, please do not unplug large items that require an immense amount of energy to restart. For example, do not unplug your fridge for a weekend away, as this will cause more harm than good.
2. Pots and Pans
When you next need to purchase a pan, consider the pan's material. Copper pans heat up quicker than stainless steel, while cast-iron pans retain heat more efficiently. You should also try to match the size of your pan to the hob/burner size to maximise your cooking time proficiency.
3. Oven temperature
While cooking, keep your oven door closed as much as possible because every time you open the door, the oven requires more energy to get back up to your desired temperature. Instead, simply check your food through the oven's glass window and set a timer.
4. Boiling the kettle
We recommend that you only use as much water as you intend to use when boiling the kettle. Kettles with clear windows, measurements or cup sizes are crucial to implementing this habit.
5. Full fridge
Keeping your fridge full is significantly more energy-efficient than one which is empty. Only invest in a fridge that is the right size for your weekly shop. But if you already have a large fridge and are hesitant to downsize, a great hack for filling up your fridge is to add large bowls of water to the shelves.
Dualit is passionate about creating stylish, reliable, and repairable kitchen appliances. From initial concept sketches to the manufacturing process, Dualit's Sussex based engineers care about designing appliances which are energy conscious. By choosing energy-efficient appliances, you are helping to reduce your carbon footprint and save money while doing it.
Photo credit to: @Inside_no_23_
Dualit Toasters now allow each slot to be used independently or combined. For example, on the 4-slice model you can choose to toast either 1, 2, 3 or 4 slices of bread and For the NewGen - 1 or 2 bagels. No other toaster on the market today offers this choice. By selecting one slot instead of all four slots, your power consumption is reduced by 60%.
2. Bean to Go Machine
The Bean to Go Machine has a built-in coffee grinder that allows you to grind your beans just before extraction and features adjustable grind settings and dose control to ensure fresh, authentic coffee. The best part - is that you can grind just the right amount for you - helping to not waste electricity of your coffee beans. The Bean to Go Machine also has an optional ECO mode to help you save as much energy as possible. The ECO Mode works by cutting illumination and decreasing the auto shut-off time.
3. Café Plus Capsule Machine
This compact yet elegant tea and coffee pod machine heats up in just 40 seconds and turns off after 10 minutes of inactivity to reduce energy consumption.
4. All Dualit Kettle
All Dualit kettles feature two viewing windows, so you can see how much water you need to boil. We recommend only boiling as much water as you need to help save a little on your energy usage. Our Kettles also have rubber-sealed lids to keep heat and steam in the chamber, so no excess energy is lost. Top Tip For Your Kettles - Remember to descale your kettle regularly to maximise efficiency.
5. 2 In 1 Toastie and Waffle Maker
The waffle maker and the toastie plate have individual controls, allowing you to save 50% of the electricity that would otherwise be deemed pointless.
Now that you have found a few energy-saving appliances you like, which one should you pick? Try choosing kitchen appliances based on the energy usage and the size you need - for example, if you are from a single-person household, we recommend buying a small-capacity kettle like the Dualit 1 Litre Lite Kettle. You could also do some additional energy-saving research to help broaden your knowledge. Here are a few energy-saving articles we would recommend: