Easy ways to conserve energy on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is about making delicious food and spending quality time with loved ones, but it can also be a time of high energy usage leading to a high electric bill. With a few minor adjustments, you can save energy and help to lower your electric bill with these tips: 

• Maximize your oven’s heat by keeping the door closed. Use the oven light rather than opening the door, which can lower the temperature by several degrees in just a few seconds. 

• Turn the oven off a few minutes before the timer goes off. The oven will stay hot enough to finish cooking your dish. 

• Use glass and ceramic dishes, which retain heat better than metal ones and allow you to reduce your oven temperature by up to 25 degrees. 

• Keep pots and pans covered on the stove to prevent heat loss. 

• Microwaves, slow cookers, air fryers and other small appliances use less energy than ovens and stoves. 

• Make sure leftovers completely cool before putting them in the refrigerator. Hot items can affect the refrigerator’s temperature, causing it to work harder to keep cool. 

• Using a dishwasher is more energy-efficient than hand-washing dishes. 

• Lower your water heater use by scraping off plates into the garbage rather than sink. 

• Change out incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. 

• Keep lights off in unused rooms. 

For more ways to save energy this holiday season, visit energy.gov.