Cooking Methods
Compared to changes in the heating or lighting of your home, changing your cooking methods will have a much smaller effect on your carbon footprint and fuel bills, but every little helps.
The cost of different cooking methods
Cooking method |
Temperature |
Time |
Energy Used |
Cost |
Electric oven |
350 |
1 hr. |
2.0 kWh |
£0.13 |
Gas oven |
350 |
1 hr. |
0.112 therm |
£0.12 |
Electric oven (convection) |
325 |
45 min. |
1.39 kWh |
£0.10 |
Toaster |
425 |
50 min. |
0.95 kWh |
£0.08 |
Microwave oven |
High |
15 minutes |
0.36 kWh |
£0.04 |
From Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Home Energy 2001.
Tips to save on energy costs when cooking
- Remember that you can't save much energy by changing your cooking methods. Cooking uses a fraction of total household energy compared to things like heating and lighting. The tips below do work, but the savings is minimal.
- Use a microwave oven for baking. This is the cheapest way to bake. When making jacket potatoes, cook them in the microwave first & finish them under the grill for a few minutes for that crispy finish.
- Only open the oven door when it is completely necessary. Oven temperature drops 25-30 degrees every time you open the oven door. Getting an oven with a light and a glass window in the door will let you check on your food without having to open the door.
- Don't put aluminum foil on the bottom of a gas oven to catch drippings. The foil blocks the heat that the oven is trying to produce. (It's fine to put foil in an electric oven, as long as you leave the heating elements on the side exposed.)
- Use glass and ceramic pans when baking. They retain heat better than metal pans and allow you to lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees.
Save energy, save money & help save the planet
Save energy, save money & help save the planet
