Keep the oven door closed when cooking. Every time you open the door you lose at least 20% of the heat. Instead use the window to check foods. That is why they put it there.
If you are reheating food use a toaster oven or microwave oven.
These appliances use much less energy than a standard oven.
Check your oven's door seal by closing the door on a $5 bill
(when cool). If it's held tightly in place, the seal's OK; if
not, the door should be adjusted or the seal replaced.
Unless you are baking bread of pastry you probably don't need
to preheat your oven. Preheating is not always necessary and
consumes about 0.06 kWh every 10 minutes.
If you use the self-cleaning option on your oven, do so right
after you have finished cooking when the oven is still hot.
Looking to buy a new
oven?
A self-cleaning oven will initially cost you more to purchase but will save you money in the long run even if you don't use the self-cleaning option. This is because self-cleaning ovens are usually better insulated than standard ovens. This results in less heat loss, which translates to less energy usage and saves money.
Consider a convection oven. These ovens have a fan that keeps
the hot air moving throughout cooking. This oven will cook more
evenly and faster resulting in energy, time, and money savings.
