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How can I save energy in my kitchen next year without sacrificing on style?

Energy consumption has been on our minds for a few years now. Unsurprisingly, one of the most power-hungry areas of the home is the kitchen. But when we’ve spent so much time creating our dream kitchens, how do we save energy without sacrificing on style? Well, it’s easier than you might think.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, embracing your electrical gadgets can be a good way to save energy without needing to make any big changes to your kitchen. Using efficient small appliances in place of those large, high-power ones, can help you save energy on a daily basis. So, cook with your microwave, slow cooker or air fryer rather than warm up your oven and fill cups and pans from your boiling water tap instead of the kettle.

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There are other nifty energy-saving tricks that don’t require any big changes. Simply putting lids on your pans will mean you can turn your hob down. This also reduces steam, meaning your extractor fan doesn’t need to work so hard. If you do have your oven on, you’ll find the kitchen is warmer. So, why not turn your heating down while you cook?

But just because there are simple energy-saving tricks you can use, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make any changes to your kitchen. In fact, some energy-saving changes can improve functionality, warmth and style. Perhaps the biggest and easiest change to make is to your lighting. Ceiling downlights often use halogen bulbs which heat up. This means they waste energy. But don’t worry, your downlights can be converted to LEDs, which are far more efficient to run.

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It’s worth considering whether you can improve your lighting in other ways. If you have your lights on most of the time, perhaps you need to bring in more natural light and reposition your lighting points. You may benefit from focusing light directly onto your worktops. LED strips are great for this as you can hide them under your cabinets. So, they won’t interfere with your clean lines. If you have a large, open-plan kitchen then using multiple lights and dimmers mean you can light one area at a time to the right level – making the space feel more intimate while saving you from needing to light the whole space all the time.

Contributor
John McCallister - lighting expert: John is a qualified electrician and lighting expert with over fifteen years' experience. John specialises in intricate lighting projects for home extensions and loft conversions.