As British families spend an extra 14 hours a week cooking, many are dusting off old bread makers, sandwich toasters, and food processors to explore their culinary creativity. A study of 2,000 families found that 58 percent are finding inventive ways to use kitchen gadgets such as ice cream makers, smoothie makers, and pizza ovens for entertainment purposes.
With increased kitchen gadget usage, there is a potential rise in energy costs for households. However, 84 percent of adults admit to having no idea about the energy consumption of their culinary tech items. More than half of the participants rarely consider running costs when purchasing new kitchen gadgets, and 54 percent don’t check the appliances’ energy rating.
Utilita, the Pay-As-You-Go energy company, conducted the study as part of its #EnergyHigh5 campaign. They emphasize the importance of considering the impact of these gadgets on both household budgets and the environment. While gadgets that are used for only a few minutes at a time may not significantly affect energy consumption, items that stay on the worktop and are used regularly or for longer periods, such as coffee machines, slow cookers, and air fryers, can result in higher energy costs over a year.
Utilita suggests monitoring real-time energy usage to help households limit gadget usage or offset the extra spending by saving energy elsewhere in the house.
The study also revealed that for 51 percent of families, eating together has become the main form of evening entertainment in the past 12 months. Cooking has become a way for families to bond and keep children busy. Recipe books have made a comeback in 57 percent of family kitchens.
To help households save on kitchen energy bills, Utilita provides the following top 10 tips:
- Pay attention to the energy consumption (wattage) of items that generate heat, as they will cost the most to run.
- After turning off the oven, leave the door open to heat up the room.
- Consider investing in a slow cooker to save money by avoiding the energy consumption of the oven.
- Let food come to room temperature before cooking to reduce cooking time.
- Only boil the amount of water needed in the kettle.
- Switch off or unplug idle appliances such as microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, and electric ovens.
- Use eco settings on dishwashers to save up to 50 percent of energy for each load.
- Choose effective washing-up liquids to reduce the need for hot water.
- Fill the freezer to capacity for efficient energy use.
- Use lids on pots when cooking to retain heat and cook food more quickly.
By implementing these tips, households can save on kitchen energy bills while enjoying their cooking gadgets.
Note: This article is based on a study conducted by Utilita as part of their #EnergyHigh5 campaign.
Sam Allcock is the CEO of PR FIRE – PR & Content Marketing Platform
Talks about #pr, #blogs, #marketing, #socialmedia, and #pressrelease
Writes for The Dial in his own time.
