Buying and Operating Tips: Major Electrical Cooking Appliances

• Buying tips
• List of models
• List of brand names
• Operating tips

Today's ranges, cooktops and ovens are already energy efficient, so there are few ways to reduce the energy they use, and this is why there are no ENERGY STAR^® qualified models. More oven insulation and tighter-fitting oven door gaskets and hinges have already improved the energy efficiency of these appliances.

Buying Tips

• Look for the lowest EnerGuide rating.
• Consider buying a self-cleaning unit, even if you clean your oven only two or three times a year. Self-cleaning ovens are generally better insulated than regular ovens. Although they use energy during cleaning, they maintain the internal oven temperature more evenly.
• Conventional burners require more energy than induction or halogen cooktops.
• Cooktops that have a powerful exhaust fan may increase energy use in your home during the winter months by exhausting a good deal more heated air from your home than is necessary, causing the furnace to work longer and harder.
• Gas appliances do not currently have EnerGuide labels. If you are purchasing a gas range, make sure it has been certified by the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) or Underwriters Laboratories.

Compare cooking appliance models by visiting our searchable product listings

• List of models: Cook tops
• List of models: Ovens
• List of models: Ranges

Cooking Appliance Distributors by Brand Name

Operating Tips to Save Energy and Money

Set- Up

• Read your owner's manual - it's full of hints to help you operate ranges, cooktops and ovens at optimum efficiency. Many range manuals also include great cooking recipes.
• Smaller ovens use less energy.

Everyday Operating Tips

• Preheating your oven is not necessary except for baking. When preheating is necessary, 10 minutes is usually sufficient.
• Turn off the oven a few minutes before cooking is complete - the heat already in the oven will finish the job.
• Don't overcook your meal or open the oven door too often - both practices waste energy. Every time you open the oven door, as much as 20 percent of the heat escapes, and the oven has to work that much harder to replace it.
• Match your pot to the size of the element. The base of the pot should just cover the electric cooking ring. If the pot is too large for the element, more energy will be required to heat the pot. If the pot is too small, energy is lost.
• Match the type of pot material to the type of cooktop. For example, aluminum pots are not recommended for halogen induction elements.
• Make sure the bottoms of your pots and pans are smooth and flat. Food will cook faster, and you'll use less energy when the pots make full contact with the cooking element.
• Use minimum heat. After the water is boiling, for instance, turn the heat down to the lowest setting that will maintain boiling. A higher setting will not cook your food any faster.

Maintenance

• Keep the drip pans clean under conventional burners. Don't line them with aluminum foil - this may reflect too much heat and damage the element
• Make sure your oven's door seals are clean and tight. They should hold a slip of paper snugly. If paper slips out easily, replace the seals. Here's another way to check the seals: place a lit flashlight inside a cold oven and close the door. If you can see light around the edges of the door, the seals need to be replaced. Use the flashlight to check refrigerators and freezers as well.

Use Energy-Efficient Features

• Use your cooktop, toaster oven or microwave oven to reheat smaller quantities of food whenever possible.
• Use your oven's probes, if available, to show when the internal temperature of the food has reached the desired temperature. This helps prevent overcooking and wasting energy.
• Use the convection setting in your oven whenever possible - it will reduce baking times up to 30 percent by circulating heated air around the food.
• The convection option is energy efficient, according to some studies.
• Self-cleaning ovens are better insulated and retain more heat while cooking, but the self-cleaning cycle is energy intensive. Use it only when needed, cleaning right after cooking a meal to take advantage of the heat already in the unit.