Kitchen

The kitchen is for many, the heart of the home. And it takes a lot of energy to keep it in action, accounting for almost one third of the energy used in your home.

The fridge is a big energy user and roughly a third of Australian homes have two of them. The dishwasher consumes a lot of energy through hot water use.

Cooking also accounts for significant amount of energy used in the kitchen. Go to our Food and Cooking page to find out more.

A bit of thought on how you use your appliances in the kitchen will have a massive impact. You will reduce your energy use, slash your electricity bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Simple things you can do today

• Decide what you want before opening the fridge door
• Check your fridge temperature – it will work most efficiently at 4 degrees
• Your fridge will also work more best the fuller it is!
• Ensure door seals are clean and the door closes properly
• Only run the dishwasher when you have a full load and select an ‘eco’ or short cycle
• To allow more room in your dishwasher, wash large items by hand
• Rinse dishes in cold water with the plug in, before putting them in the dishwasher
• Replace light bulbs in the kitchen with CFLs
• Turn off your kettle, toaster, microwave and other appliances at the wall when possible
• Recycle everything you can. Check with your local Council but items like glass bottles, pizza boxes, aluminium cans and foil, juice bottles and cardboard boxes are mostly fine
• Compost your fruit and vegetable scraps if you have a garden

Long-term actions

• Make sure your fridge is placed in a cool spot with ventilation and air flow all around it
• If your fridge is getting old, purchase a new energy-efficient one. Save 20% on the lifetime running costs of a fridge if it has at least 4 stars!
• Buy a new energy and water efficient dishwasher. You can save 30% on running costs with every extra star!
• The ClimateSmart Retail program can help you with making energy efficient appliance purchases.