How can we make our end-of-year celebrations more eco-friendly?

The holiday season is an occasion for rejoicing, gatherings and festive tables. Whether it’s to pamper or impress our guests, we spend a lot of time cooking. But who says feasts also says food waste and overconsumption of energy… It is however possible to enjoy the celebrations without depriving yourself, by adopting new consumption habits and by taking simple actions to reduce your ecological footprint.

Electrolibre offers you green tips for your household appliances without diminishing the pleasure of hosting.

Our appliances in green mode

The fridge in evening dress!

It is the electro in front of which we most often find our guests, young and old. So we’re giving it a makeover!
We vacuum under and behind the fridge to remove the dust that accumulates around the condenser. In addition to improving its performance and increasing its lifespan, you reduce its electricity consumption by around 10%.
We check if our refrigerator is level and tilted slightly backwards. This low inclination helps the door close and prevents it from remaining open without your knowledge. A door open for a long time considerably increases energy consumption as well as the risk of the compressor breaking or overheating.
Inside we do the sorting. Compost expired food and free your shelves from jars that have cluttered them for months. Classify what remains respecting the cooling zones. This increases the conservation of our food and thereby reduces food waste. The use of transparent containers extends the shelf life and allows us to locate what we are looking for more quickly. We are also thinking about changing our water filter . For air fresheners , several ecological options are now available.

A stove better used, an invaluable gift!

Even if it’s the fridge that consumes the most energy, it’s with the stove that you can more easily reduce your energy consumption. First of all, we check that the bulb is functional to avoid opening the oven door during our cooking.
We use an element of the same diameter as our pots and pans and we cover them for better performance.
Preheating the oven for half an hour is unnecessary. Only 10 minutes is enough! Similarly, turn off the oven about fifteen minutes before the end of cooking: the accumulated heat will complete the work.
For our famous Christmas cookies, we use reusable silicone sheets instead of parchment paper.
When choosing the menu, preference is given to slow cooking and low temperature recipes. These consume less energy and are often tastier. And why not simmer? The slow cooker uses 80% less energy than cooking in the oven.

A freezer organized for the festivities!

As with the fridge, we take inventory of the contents of our freezer.
Organizing and labeling food reduces door openings and lengthy searches.
Allow hot foods to cool completely before placing them in the freezer. This avoids excessive temperature variations inside and thereby unnecessary operation of the compressor. We also remember to wipe the containers properly so that they are dry before storing them in the cold.
Never leave an empty freezer space. They are filled using bottles ¾ filled with water. These last will lower the temperature in the device and will allow, during a door opening, to help your freezer to regain its adequate operating temperature.

The dishwasher, a precious guest.

When we receive there is always… dishes! We cannot escape it. And as we celebrate in a more ecological way, we use washable cutlery.
You start your dishwasher when it is filled to capacity, and you use the “short cycle” and “eco cycle” functions.
There is no need to rinse the dishes; with newer models supporting this function, simply scrape up food leftovers and put them in the compost.
Remember to clean your filter regularly!
For drying, we opt for air drying. This can reduce energy consumption by more than 10% compared to heat drying.
Also remember to read our tips for keeping your dishes sparkling even in the dishwasher.

And now… what are we eating?

And while we’re at it, why not become a locavore for the holidays this year? Prioritizing buying local is undoubtedly an eco-responsible way to make a difference. Even in winter, it is now possible to obtain fresh food from Quebec. Food chains visibly identify these products under the Aliment Québec logo . Or, with a little research, you can find local producers who will be happy to share their passion with you. The UPA has created an application for you to help you with this .

Happy Holidays!

Sources : https://www.hydroquebec.com/residentiel/mieux-consommer/electromenagers/conseils.html