Here are 5 easy tips to follow and save yourself some energy, and therefore cash, in the kitchen.

1- We all love a cup of tea or coffee, but how many times do you overfill the kettle and boil away water that never gets used? Simple tip-measure out the amount of water for the amount of people you are making a drink for, plus a splash more, and no more wasted heat and money evaporating into the air.

2-Whenever you open your fridge, or freezer, a surge of energy is needed to bring the temperature back down to the desired coldness. Constant opening will result in more energy leakage than leaving it open for a period in order to get all you need.

3-When defrosting food, try to plan. Don’t leave it to the last moment and have to set your microwave to work. Defrosting food in the fridge or on the counter top costs next to nothing compared with that energy guzzling microwave.

4- Choose energy efficient appliances. Check for the energy ratings on products-’A’ being the best, the further down the alphabet you go, the worse the offender for power usage. Increasingly, newer products are being made that put energy saving as a priority, so whatever appliance you are looking to replace, there is sure to be an energy efficient one out there.

5-Finally, get rid of all the appliances that replace a simple job that can be done by hand. Not a popular idea, and some gadgets are useful, but they can take you away from being hands on in the kitchen, keep you lazy and reliant on them, and all the while they nibble away at energy and money when good old muscle power would get the job done-not to mention the cash back selling them at your garage sale!