12 tips to save money on your energy bills this winter

Use the best equipment for the job. The holidays can mean spending more time in the kitchen preparing meals and dishes. Slow cookers are more energy efficient than induction hobs for cooking stews and soups, while toasters use a fraction of the oven’s power if you need to reheat a slice of pizza. And when baking, don’t look in the oven, says Rubado. Every time you open the door, she says, the oven temperature drops by about 25 degrees, and it has to work harder to return to the set temperature. But when you’re done using the oven and turning it off, says Ciavardini, leave the door open, so the residual heat can help warm up the kitchen.