As you head into the kitchen to prepare your Thanksgiving feast this year, our friends at Michigan Gas Utilities are offering up what they call “A cornucopia of energy efficiency tips for Thanksgiving.”
Saying, “It’s easy to trim your energy bill while you trim the turkey,” MGU officials invite everyone to follow a few simple steps to manage energy costs this holiday weekend, adding, “They’re as easy as pumpkin pie!”
- Timing is everything. Make sure the green bean casserole is ready for baking by the time the oven finishes preheating. Heating the oven for longer than needed wastes energy and money.
- No peeking! Use the oven light to check on the pumpkin pie rather than opening the oven. Opening the door can drop the temperature 25 degrees, adding cooking time and energy use.
- Consider pan size. Using a small saucepan on a big burner wastes heat. Matching a pot or pan with a similar-sized burner not only uses heat more efficiently, but also takes less time.
- Feeling toasty? If the oven is on and dishes are cooking on the stove, you can probably lower your thermostat a few degrees without noticing a difference.
- Cleanup is key. After packing up those leftovers, fully load your dishwasher. It will use the same amount of energy whether it’s full or not.
Michigan Gas officials say after dinner is over, the rest is gravy, and invite you to check out more energy efficiency tips on their website at this link: https://www.wecenergygroup.com/home/home-checklist.htm
If you’re hungry for more on Black Friday, they invite you to check out their partners at Efficiency United. Michigan Gas Utilities (MGU) customers may be able to gobble up an extra helping of energy savings through rebates on smart thermostats or energy efficient appliances. Click this link to find out: https://efficiencyunited.com/select-utility
