The kitchen is one place that we tend to use large amounts of electricity – and that doesn’t just refer to the energy used for heating the water to wash the dishes/run the dishwasher and to illuminate our cooking areas.  In most homes, electricity is the main means of actually turning raw materials into edible stuff.  So if we can find ways to reduce electricity use here, we can trim our power bills down.

Those of you who already use gas or wood fires for cooking can stop looking smug, even though you’re already using less electricity than the rest of us.
Making a hot drink?  Don’t put more water in the kettle than you actually need – the more water you put in, the more electricity will be needed to heat it.  Make sure the heating element is covered, though.

Salads maximise nutrients, minimise power use and are usually healthier.  Eat them frequently.
Use the microwave where you can – frozen vegetables, fish and sweet corn are all possibilities for microwaving.
Use steamers that sit above regular saucepans so you can cook two dishes at the same time on one element (e.g. boiled potatoes in the saucepan down the bottom; peas up the top).
Use the right size saucepan for the element. 

If you use the oven for baking or roasting, don’t just do one thing in there.  Make the most of the electricity.  For example, if you are roasting a chicken in the oven, it’s easy to slip in roast vegetables to use the same heat (and there’s half of dinner done just like that).  Or take the chance to do a little baking.

Don’t use the hot tap to fill a saucepan or kettle – unless the water in the tap is hot as soon as it comes out because you’ve just washed the dishes.

Don’t defrost things by running the hot water over them.  Put them in the fridge overnight or use the microwave.  Smaller things (e.g. schnitzel, chops, mince, fish, sausages, steak) defrost easily enough in the microwave and can even begin some of their cooking while a little bit frosty.  In fact, meat that needs to be cubed is easier to cut if it’s partially frozen.  Large things – which includes any bit of chicken – should be properly thawed before cooking and the microwave takes too long to defrost them thoroughly.  If you are likely to forget to put out the chicken to thaw, have a dinner standby that doesn’t need thawing – lentils, eggs and tinned fish are possibilities.

Don’t put hot food into the refrigerator.  Cover it and let it cool down before refrigerating.  To cool something quickly, run a sink full of cold water and plunge the saucepan containing whatever-it-is into the water with the lid off.  Don’t fill the sink so much that it drowns the saucepan.
Water doesn’t boil any hotter than 100°C.  So once water hits the boil, turn down the heat as low as it will go.  This will be enough to maintain the temperature at boiling or simmering point.

Put the lid on the pan while you’re cooking.  This traps the heat.  You can even turn off the heat altogether for the last ten minutes when cooking stew or rice – the residual heat in the pan, the element and the water will continue cooking the food for a little while.

You don’t always have to wait until the oven gets to180°C or whatever when you’re baking or roasting (exception: meringues).  Food can start cooking as the oven warms up.
Don’t keep opening the oven door when you’re baking.  Use a timer, your sense of smell or the oven light (don’t leave it on all the time) to see if things look done.

Think before automatically switching on the range hood.  The smell of cooking can add pleasantly to the atmosphere of your home.  Save it for removing burnt smells and anything really noxious (fish and cabbage can be the biggest offenders here).