Thanksgiving Savings

Take a deep breath, can you smell it? It is the delicious aroma of Thanksgiving preparations, and they start days before the big feast. Turkey, stuffing, green beans, pecan pie, and an extra-large electric bill.

Though you will have to call the Butterball Hotline for your turkey woes, we can help with your electric bill. Try our tips below to help keep things in check on Turkey Day and throughout the year.

• Buy the smallest turkey that will feed your guests. A smaller turkey takes less time to cook, saving energy.

   

• Go with dressing instead of stuffing to help with the cooking time of your turkey. When a turkey is stuffed, it takes longer to cook-- which means more oven time and energy usage. Check out this tried and true dressing recipe or go a little more southern and use cornbread (it is delicious!). 

• When using your oven, avoid opening it to check your cooking progress. Each time you open your oven, heat escapes causing the unit to work harder to bring it back up to temperature.

• Try using your microwave instead of your oven whenever possible. Your microwave uses significantly less energy than your oven. You can make goodies such as pralines, peanut brittle, and even divinity in the microwave.

• Avoid opening and closing your refrigerator and freezer multiple times. Each time the door opens, the compressor has to run a little longer to replace the cold air. Use a cooler to store drinks. A cooler prevents family and guests from opening the refrigerator each time they need a new beverage.

• Be sure to close your refrigerator and freezer doors snuggly. To test the seals on your doors, close the refrigerator door on a dollar bill. If you can pull the dollar bill out easily, the door needs to be adjusted or the gasket replaced.

• Cook with your lids on. Using tightly fitted lids on pots and pans helps keep heat in so you can lower the temperature setting and shorten the cooking time.

• Make sure that your stove's burners and reflectors are clean. When clean they will reflect heat better and save energy.

• Use your crockpot. Not only is this an extremely energy-efficient way to cook, but a crockpot is also very easy to use. Check out some of these great recipes for your slow cooker.

• When dinner is over, toss those dishes in the dishwasher, not the sink. The dishwasher uses less water and energy than hand washing. According to energystar.gov you could be spending $1,300 more in energy and water just by hand washing your dishes rather than using an ENERGY STAR dishwasher.

• Though it is a habit for most of us, there is no need to pre-rinse your dishes. Scrape your dishes before loading and run the built-in rinse feature, which uses less water (and energy) than hand rinsing.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at APG&E!