These days, there seems to be an endless parade of appliances filling up our kitchen sockets and counter space. Some of these are bigger energy hogs than others, while a few simple actions can help you scale back your kitchen's energy consumption.

• Your refrigerator should be set close to 37°F and your freezer set to 3°F to conserve energy. Place a weather thermometer inside the compartment to check its temperature and adjust the dials until you achieve the desired temperature.
• Clean refrigerator gaskets regularly and vacuum the condenser coils twice a year. Your refrigerator will operate more efficiently and use less electricity.
• Keep your refrigerator full. Food retains cold better than air does, so a near-empty fridge is working much harder to cool its contents. Don't over stuff your fridge either. Air circulation is needed to cool and control humidity.
• Use a toaster oven for small jobs. It will use a third to half as much energy as a full-size oven.
• If you have a "no-heat" dry setting on your dishwasher, use it. Heat drying is not necessary after a hot-wash cycle.

Source: Trask, Crissy. It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2006.