Knowing some eco tricks will save you by controlling your energy consumption every time you prepare lunch or dinner. How much does it cost to cook? We are not just referring to the price of the ingredients. In preparing the dishes there is a significant energy expenditure (the highest in the whole house). If you know and control it, you can save on the bill while making your kitchen more efficient, ecological and respectful with the environment.
Using the dishwasher or pressure cooker makes your kitchen more efficient. Knowing some eco tricks will save you by controlling your energy consumption every time you prepare lunch or dinner.
HOW TO HAVE A MORE ECOLOGICAL KITCHEN
- Home appliances. Choose energy efficient models, which with the new labeling (in force since March 2021) will be type B, CO D. You will save between 40 and 50% of energy. Move the refrigerator away from the oven or microwave to make it easier to maintain the temperature.
- Induction hobs. Vitroceramics and gas cookers consume much more energy than induction cookers. In addition, the latter prepare food much faster and turn off automatically when you remove the pans, pots or pots.
- Accessories. Opt for sustainable materials like cedar wood for cutting boards; organic cotton in textiles; loofah scourers; Coconut fiber brushes or glass lunch boxes instead of plastic ones.
ZERO FOOD WASTE GOAL
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and the Environment, each person throws away 25 kg of food a year in Spain. To stop this, plan your menus, make the shopping list and do not get out of it, and with the food that you have left, make new dishes or freeze it.
COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT
The fight for a greener planet must begin with small changes in habits within the home. Replace the bulbs with LEDs; Although they are somewhat more expensive, they last longer, from 20,000 hours to 50,000 hours, and they are more energy efficient: from 80 to 100 lumens per watt. Also use light regulators or dimmers, and in passageways, bet on presence detectors.
CONTROL DAILY WATER CONSUMPTION
Be aware of all the times you turn on the kitchen tap so as not to waste this precious commodity, nor your money. Use flow reducers on the sink faucet or air diffusers, like all Ikea faucets.
So if, whether you are going to reform the kitchen or if you just want to make small changes, take into account these practical tips to start having a more ecological and sustainable kitchen.
1- NEW KITCHEN CABINETS
Wooden kitchen cabinets
Times change, the planet matters and surprise! the kitchens are made with reclaimed materials. This is confirmed by the Danish firm Kvik with its Veda furniture – 40% of its materials are recycled and it plans to reach 57% by the end of 2022-. It is available in five different colors and finishes, inspired by nature. The one in this image is light oak, and is complemented by new handles and a collection of accessories to personalize it.
2- ARE YOU GOING TO REFORM? EYE WITH THE WINDOWS
White kitchen sink under the window
They may not offer optimal thermal and acoustic insulation if they are old. Change them, as you are going to do with the furniture, and take the opportunity to insulate the walls. Only with specific materials and efficient windows will you feel thermal comfort. As for the profiles of the latter, there is a novelty that will improve the aesthetics of the kitchen. It’s called NaturKolor76, a range of Kömmerling colors with high-quality foliated finishes and textures that emanate from nature: woods, metals and colors. This kitchen, renovated by Boor Studio is equipped with furniture by Leroy Merlin. Countertop, Corian.
3- IT ALL STARTS IN THE SHOPPING CART
Open gray kitchen with crystal series refrigerator
Analyze your consumer behavior, prepare menus and you will end up buying only what you do need. Also, bet on local and seasonal food. And it uses the advanced technology of household appliances to avoid food waste of meat, fish, vegetables… Crystal Series Refrigerator, by Balay. Available with white, anthracite gray or black glass door, in 60 and 70 cm, and height of 186 and 203 cm.
4- RECYCLING YES, BUT GO ONE STEP FURTHER
Kitchen trash can bo touch hi
What is really sustainable is not generating garbage, as the Zero Waste movement advocates. But while this great social change is achieved, each household can do a lot, such as rethinking the way to buy and carry your own jars to buy vegetables, pickles … It is better not to buy single-use plastics than to recycle them. And separating waste is key. Bo Touch Hi Bucket, from Brabantia , with odor-proof lid and handles; available with one 60-liter or two 30-liter inner containers; in 55 x 32 x 82 cm.
5- EVERY LITTLE GESTURE MATTERS
Kitchen faucet faucet blue pure eurosmart
It is possible to improve many aspects of the day to day to be more sustainable. You just have to consider it and discover that something everyday can be done better. The wholesomeness of the water is guaranteed in Spain, but the taste is different in some areas. Drinking the bottled in single-use plastic generates waste. If the problem is taste, the solution is filtering. The Blue Pure Eurosmart taps, from the Grohe firm , do it; doubles as a normal kitchen faucet and delivers filtered drinking water at the push of a button (from € 270.23 on Amazon).
6- THE OVEN TAKES CARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN
You know how to use it well. You can limit your energy intake without giving up a tasty meal. How? Choose a forced circulation oven because it reduces the cooking time by at least 15%. For culinary preparations longer than one hour, do not preheat. And never open it while cooking, if it is not necessary, because you will lose a minimum of 20% of the accumulated energy. Use it to cook multiple dishes at once, turn it off before the end of cooking to take advantage of residual heat, and opt for reusable greaseproof paper instead of single-use paper to reduce waste.
7- FIND OUT ABOUT THE MATERIALS
Kitchen cabinets with fröjered wooden doors
Renewables are those that regenerate naturally, and bamboo is. It is also considered vegetable steel for its resistance. This Ikea kitchen has Fröjered doors, the first of the firm made of this material. All the elements in the series are unique, as they present the chromatic variations typical of this tropical plant. Drawer front, with integrated handle, in 60 x 40 cm.
8- WHITE KITCHEN WITH ISLAND
A product is “Carbon Neutral” throughout its life cycle when its emissions are reduced and offset from its extraction. And this certificate is obtained once the good practices in terms of sustainability and environmental management of the brand that manufactures it are confirmed. The Dekton by Cosentino surface used in this countertop has achieved that carbon neutrality that contributes to the fight against climate change. Refrigerator, Samsung. Microwave and oven, Siemens. Interior design, by Home Select.
9- GO TO THE LED UNIVERSE
Kitchen furniture and cabinets with retractable doors
The light strip you see is more than enough to illuminate that entire front and it hardly consumes energy. The complete lighting of the kitchen is wasteful and, now, with the rise in electricity, more expensive. It incorporates LEDs to avoid wasting energy and paying less. By the way, look at what a good idea this furniture, from Roca, is: the interior is hidden with retractable doors. For environments integrated into the living room or not.
10- ECOLOGICAL HABITS
More than 80% of the energy consumed by a washing machine is used to heat the water. Did you know? Wash cold and organize your laundry well so as not to only use half a washing machine. You can also use ecological detergents and natural products, such as washing nuts, to reduce the environmental impact. Washing machine from the Supreme Silence range , from Whirlpool , with technology that saves up to 45% energy, 50% water and 30% detergent Ah! And it is silent throughout the wash cycle.
11- FOR DAILY MAINTENANCE
Green kitchen and paduaoslo wood with laminate countertop
You have chosen an ideal kitchen made with materials that have an environmental certificate. But do you know how to clean it without harming the environment? Make your household products from natural ingredients such as lemon and vinegar, since many components that conventional hygiene articles contain are not biodegradable, they pass through our pipes and drains, end up in the sea and contaminate the water.
12- THE DISHWASHER
According to the Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings (IDAE), an average home consumes about 4,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. Only the refrigerator, the oven, the glass ceramic and the dishwasher add up to more than 30% of this amount.
By washing dishes in the dishwasher, you save 30 liters of water a day, according to a study by Canal de Isabel II and BSH Electrical Appliances Spain. But you have to put it full. Better, use low temperatures since most of the consumption of this appliance is due to the heating of the water in the washing process.
13- THE FRIDGE
The high percentage in the total cost of the refrigerator is due to its continued use. The key to savings is again in the temperature. Keep it at proper levels: 5 degrees for the fridge and -18 for the freezer. The eco positions of the models that include it tend to take care of this aspect.
Other recommendations: do not install the refrigerator near heat sources. Wait for the food to cool down before putting it away. Keep the fridge clean and free of bad odors, and the rear part free of dust to improve its ventilation. And grab what you want quickly so you don’t keep the door open too long.
14- THE OVEN
Kitchen towels in the oven
To get the most out of the oven, don’t wait to turn it off when the food is done, take advantage of the residual heat and turn it off before it finishes cooking. When in operation, always closed. When you open the door the temperature drops a lot. Do not use it to heat food or defrost. The expense is very high.
15- DO NOT DEFROST WITH HOT WATER
High spout kitchen faucet
Using hot water to defrost involves wasting many liters of water. Be proactive and take the food out to freeze early and let it do so in the fridge.
16- USE THE MICROWAVE PROPERLY
Kitchen cabinets with drawers
Using the microwave is cheaper than using the oven. To take advantage of it, use glass containers and cut the food you are going to cook into pieces, since the process will be faster.
17- THE SIZE OF THE SAUCEPAN
Make sure that the pots, pans and pans you use have a diameter equal to or slightly greater than that of the cooking zone. Did you know that using the pot saves money? It is faster and consumes less energy. Placing the lid also helps. In electric stoves you can turn off the fire a few minutes before to take advantage of the residual heat.
18- VITROCERAMIC, INDUCTION OR GAS
Hob or gas? Gas is the best option in terms of savings, although not in terms of comfort and safety.
– In gas cookers it is important that the burners are always clean. The color of the flame must be blue, which implies that the combustion is correct.
– Within electric cookers, induction hobs are the best option. They can consume 20% less electricity than conventional glass-ceramics.
19- EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
Of course, look at the energy label if you are going to renew an appliance. It is worth it that you decide on the most efficient products. The energy consumption of an appliance that is practically identical in performance can be almost three times higher in class G appliances than in class A.
20- EMBRACE THE NATURAL
Besides some good recipes, what will really make your meals a success are the dishes and accessories. To do this, bet on artisan pieces or with natural materials capable of transmitting emotions. Terracotta jug, from H&M.
