Top Ten Energy-Saving Tips (continued)

Changes in your cooking and kitchen habits: 

1. Get rid of those electrical kitchen gadgets – unless you really can’t use the manual versions – like the can opener, carving knife, even the mixer.  There are great manual food processors available, too.
2. Only heat the water you need on the stove top.  Filling the kettle all the way for one cup of tea is throwing money away.
3. Try turning the heat off early in the oven or when steaming on the stove top, allowing the residual heat to finish the job.  Add a few minutes to cooking time if necessary.
4. Use the smallest cooking unit (pan, oven, pot) you can use so you are not heating unneeded air or water.
5. Consider replacing older appliances with newer, EnergyStar models.  Often the energy savings will pay for the additional cost in three to five years.

For your vehicle: Money you spend on gasoline or diesel fuel is money you could use to help pay for those winter heating bills:

1. Don’t idle the vehicle when you are not in traffic.  Period.  No warm up, not curb side, never longer than 10 seconds. 
2. Park it and WALK into the bank, the coffee shop, the drug store or the restaurant.  Chances are you’ll get faster service, anyway.
3. Keep the vehicle tuned and the tires properly inflated.  Clean out the trunk and the back seat so you are carrying less weight.  It’s just more efficient.
4. Drive more slowly and avoid rapid acceleration.
5. Don't drive. Walk. Take the bus, train, commuter van. Ride share. Combine all your shopping trips into one, local trip. Always ask "Do I have to do this?"; And, for highway trips with tolls, get an EZ Pass.

Don’t be afraid to share this information with neighbors and friends!