Green Kitchen Makeover | National Geographic

hi I’m patty Kim we’re making a cup of
java to cooking the perfect meal the
kitchen is the heart of the house but
what you might not realize is that it’s
also the place where you use the most
energy let’s take a look if you’d like
to cut back on how much energy and water
you use and save on your utility bills
the first thing you can do is take a
closer look and how do you actually use
your appliances you might also want to
think about switching out to newer more
efficient appliances the most
power-hungry appliance in the kitchen is
by far the refrigerator these units tend
to last a long time and if it’s over 10
years old it could be using sixty
percent more energy than a newer model
these side by side refrigerators can
sometimes use up to twenty percent more
power than the freezer top kind and I
can make a big difference for maximum
efficiency set the freezer temperature
20 degrees and the fridge to 40 degrees
vacuuming the coils will also help keep
your fridge running in tip-top shape now
if you spend a lot of time in the
kitchen cooking or baking for the family
I’m trying to get some brownies going
here it’s amazing how something as
simple as using your stove efficiently
can actually help save you energy on the
stovetop something as simple as matching
pots and pans to the right size heating
element makes a big difference
if you’re baking check whether
preheating is essential also you might
want to think about doubling up and
cooking a couple of dishes at the same
time you gotta resist peeking opening
the door can drop the oven temperature
as much as 50 degrees while reheating
leftovers you can save energy by using
your toaster oven instead of the oven to
cook small portions better yet use the
microwave it draws eighty-five percent
less energy than a conventional cooktop
to save resources during cleanup let
your kitchen do the work washing dishes
in the sink can end up using fifty
percent more water than the dishwasher
so you can cut down on all that wasted
energy by using your dishwasher but of
course the key is to only run it on full
loads and I want to turn off the dry
cycle and just let them air dry newer
energy-efficient dishwashers can save
you thirteen percent on energy and a
whopping 1200 gallons of water a year
over an older model but the best way by
far to make sure you’re saving as much
energy in the kitchen as possible is by
upgrading investing in newer and more
efficient appliances when shopping for a
new refrigerator or other appliance look
for the Energy Star label this label
means the appliance surpasses minimum
government standards and is about twenty
percent more efficient than conventional
models you can compare appliance models
by looking at the Energy Guide label it
lists the yearly power consumption and
operating costs stoves don’t carry
energy ratings but we still have some
things to look for if you’re set on
purchasing a gas stove make sure it has
an electronic ignition pilot flames
waste gas also make sure the stove
receives adequate ventilation if you’re
purchasing an electric range check out
induction cooktops they’re nearly fifty
percent more efficient than conventional
gas and electric cooktops
they’re sleek surfaces induce heat into
the steel cookware leaving the stovetop
cool ceramic glass cooktops are also a
great improvement over standard coil
cooktops even if you don’t buy new
appliances small changes can go a long
way look at it this way in the long run
you’ll be saving energy the environment
and some money it’ll be worth it I’m
patty Kim we’ll see you next time to
find out how green your kitchen is click
on the link below to take the quiz