Energy Saving Tips: Large Appliances - Oven

• 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.

• 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.

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