We all love the smell of a delicious dinner meal to fill our homes. But cooking also results in production of smoke, moisture, grease, and heat – all of which can be damaging to the walls and cabinets. Range hoods are used to get rid of any lingering odors and promote better ventilation in the kitchen. An important part of a kitchen is a well-functioning and well-maintained range hood. This is particularly true if you are always doing heavy cooking that produces a large amount of smoke. Here are some important energy saving tips for range hoods that will help you save a significant amount of money on your energy bills next month.
CLEAN HOOD FILTERS
As the filters in your range hood get dirty over time, they will allow less air to pass through, which means that the exhaust fans and motors have to work harder than usual. Hence, cleaning your hood filters regularly is extremely important. The cleaner the filters, the more effective the exhaust system will be. Not only will this reduce the amount of energy consumed, it will also extend the lifespan of the hood system.
Therefore, you should replace odor filters and regularly clean it to ensure that the filter efficiency is high, as a saturated filter will not perform well and can lead to longer usage times.
PERFORM KITCHEN ORGANIZATION
Designing your kitchen in a way that promotes ventilation is an important tip. A well-ventilated kitchen increases the efficiency of the range hood. If the equipment and appliances are not arranged properly, the range hood may need to work harder than needed. For instance, appliances that are sparsely separated in the middle of the kitchen will need more ventilation than placing similar equipment side by side next to a wall. The closely positioned appliances will limit airflow much lesser than individual units placed in the open.
COVER FOODS WHEN COOKING
Whenever possible, you should cover your pots and pans with a lid while cooking to trap heat inside. This will decrease the overall cook time and reduce the amount of heat that is released into the kitchen. As a result, the range hoods will not have to work as hard as usual, saving energy.
COOK IN BULK
One way to save both energy and time is to plan for meals in advance and cook an entire week’s worth of meals at once. It takes up lesser energy to reheat food compared to cooking an entire meal. Instead of using the kitchen appliances several times a week, try cooking the food you need in bulk and store it for whenever you want to eat it.
Many ranges have either separate or built-in range hoods on the top of their cooking surfaces. Both non-vented and vented hoods contain fans to remove smoke and air from the cooking area, and both need to be regularly cleaned and maintained properly to prevent any build up and allow it to continue working efficiently. Whether the appliance you have at home is a convertible, ducted, or ductless hood, the above tips still apply. As you can see, it does not take more than some small changes to your daily kitchen habits to save energy for your range hoods!
