Sweden Rocks!, Favorville, Energy Saving Ideas

[kettunainen]

"Sweden Plans on Being the First Country in the World to Be Free From Oil in 2020"
Article from Treehugger.com
Article from Swedish government

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Got a Favor? Need a Favor?
Favorville: People Helping People
Toronto Star article: Toronto duo links people

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Energy Saving Ideas

Saving Energy in the Kitchen:
Useful tips for everyone, including those who live in apartments and those who don't own such niceties as dishwashers and chest freezers.
(swiped word for word from the above site)

When cooking on a gas stove, make sure that the flame heats only the bottom of the pot. It's not only dangerous for the flame to reach the side of the pot, it's also a waste of energy.

Consider using small appliances such as microwaves or toaster ovens to cook or re-heat foods. These appliances use up to 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens. [taikakettu prefers toaster ovens and is glad N has one he will be sharing with us when we move.]

When you're next making a cup of tea, consider using the electric kettle to boil your water, rather than the stove. Heating up an element on the stove is less efficient than an electric kettle. [this is what I was initially researching]

Did you know that if you regularly clean your electric kettle with boiling water and vinegar, you'll remove the mineral deposits inside and make it more energy efficient? It's true. [but then you'd miss out on flakes of calcium and whatnot floating in your tea!]

Next time you're thinking of frying some eggs, reach for the electric frying pan, rather than using the stove. An electric frying pan uses less electricity than a conventional stovetop to cook the same amount of food. [N has one of these and an electric grill. Yay!]

Before you put leftovers in the fridge, you might want to let the hot food cool down first. In doing so, you'll prevent your refrigerator from working extra hard and using valuable electricity.

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Regarding kettle usage: only fill the kettle with as much water as you think you will need and no more. Scots urged to use kettle caution. Article includes bonus photo of tea-addicted, Uncle Fester lookalike.