When cooking on the stove top, using the right size pan matters. You want your pans to be as close as possible to the size of the burners. If your pan is only 6 inches and you are cooking on an 8 inch burner, over 40% of the heat will be wasted. Using the right pots and pans will also help cook food more evenly.

Other things to consider when using an electric or gas stove top are:

• Keep the lid on pots when possible to reduce heat loss. It makes the food cook faster and keeps the kitchen cooler.
• Pots and pans with flat bases allow for more contact with the heating elements, which heats your pan more efficiently.

Induction cook tops heat the surface of the pans directly without needing to heat an element or lose heat to the air. These are around twice as efficient as a standard electric element and the stove top does not get hot so they are safer and easier to clean. They provide very fast cooking with excellent temperature control, but cost more to purchase.

When boiling water for a cuppa, be it on the stove or in the kettle, only boil what you need. The more water you boil, the more energy is required to heat it. If you do accidentally boil too much, consider using it to wash the dishes when it cools down to a safe temperature.

When it comes to cooking, one of the largest energy consuming appliances is your oven. But, like most appliances, there are ways to use it more efficiently:

• Check the door seals for any air leakage. Replace the seals to prevent wasted heat, energy and money.
• Try to avoid pre-heating the oven unnecessarily.
• If possible, cook several things at once.
• Reheat food in the microwave instead of the oven.
• Consider using smaller appliances like electric fry pans, slow cookers or microwaves as an alternative.

Microwaves use far less electricity than traditional electric ovens and can cook food much faster. Using a microwave can use up to 80% less energy when reheating food than a standard oven.

Some people think that microwaves can contaminate food. This is untrue. Microwaves cause water molecules in food to vibrate which produces heat needed to cook the food. This makes foods high in water content, like vegetables and soups, great for cooking in the microwave.

Slow cookers use significantly less energy than a stove top and are great for soups or stews that could take hours to cook. Slow cookers use just a little more energy than a traditional light bulb, and you can leave your food to cook slowly while you get on with other things.