Save Energy: Microwave             

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A relatively new way of cooking, the microwave is just about the most energy efficient way you can get of cooking things.

HOW IT WORKS

The microwave gets its name from the shortwave radio waves it uses to warm up the food we put in it. It works on the water molecules within the food which warm up when exposed to the waves. This is why bone dry food won't heat up in one. It also is extremely effective at heating up any other electrical conductors, especially metals, which is why you mustn't put metal things inside it.

POSITIVE STEPS:

  Use it when you can:

While a conventional oven heats up a big metal box to over 200'C and then waits for that hot air to warm your food, a microwave acts only on the food itself. As a result the energy is directed to where it is needed and nowhere else.

In energy terms this means consumption can be 80 to 90% lower than achieving the same result in a normal oven. Hence any chance to use the microwave in place of the normal oven will generate big savings.

Obviously the microwave isn't good for everything, but it's worth looking at what you do cook and asking could this be done in it ?

 
The microwave can be great for defrosting things. If you've got something you need to cook another way, using the microwave to defrost it first will be more energy-efficient than either doing this in the oven or on the hob.

   Switch it off

Did you know that many microwaves use more electricity just sitting there than actually cooking ? 

Often the amount of energy required to keep the clock display running day in day out exceeds the amount used in the short bursts of cooking. Hence make a habit of switching off at the wall when done and save at least half its energy use!

  Defrosting:

The microwave is ideal for defrosting. Because microwaves act on water molecules themselves, it is about the most efficient and fastest way of defrosting. Certainly loads more efficient than using the oven's heat.