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Ashley

Have you ever noticed a spike in your energy bill during those long winter months? Learn how to lower your energy costs this winter with our checklist!

Have you recently found yourself looking at your energy bill with utter shock? There&rsquo;s no way it can be up that high, right? Well, it turns out that, not only has everyone been staying home more (which means more lights and device usage), but that drop in temperature outside puts more strain on your heating system, which equals high energy costs.
But don&rsquo;t worry; we have assembled a checklist to help you lower your energy costs this winter!
<img alt="outside, winter: mittened hands holding a ceramic house with a heart on it" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_appliances/winter-home.jpg" title="iStock Credit: CatLane" width="700" />
<h2>1. Adjust the Temperature</h2>
Adjusting the temperature on your heater or thermostat seems is a simple enough first step.
The key is to set the temperature to as low as you feel comfortable in when you&rsquo;re awake, and then setting the temperature 7 to 10 degrees lower when you&rsquo;re asleep or out of the house. By following this process, you save around 10 percent a year on your energy bill (according to the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/thermostats">U.S. Department of Energy</a>). Make things even simpler for yourself with a programmable thermostat;&nbsp; set it and then forget about it!
But if you&rsquo;re feeling too cold, try only heating the areas you use most often (like the living room, your bedroom, etc.).
<h2>2. Turn Off the Lights</h2>
<img alt="Young man taking a late night study break to be on his phone." src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_appliances/winter-lights-off-kitchen.jpg" title="iStock Credit: GCShutter" width="700" />
Your second focus should be on turning off the lights whenever you leave a room. Easy as pie!
But if you have younger kids that are always switching the lights on, or you can&rsquo;t inspect every room of the house before you go to bed, try switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs. LED lightbulbs use 75 percent less energy than incandescent, which equals huge savings!
And for hallway lights that always remain on, use low-wattage bulbs; for outdoor areas, invest in motion-sensor lights. &nbsp;Don&rsquo;t forget to put away your holiday lights&mdash;trust us, it&rsquo;ll be worth the hassle.
<h2>3. Keep Heat Indoors</h2>
<img alt="Woman is opening window to look at beautiful snowy landscape outside" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_appliances/weather-stripping.jpg" title="Credit:Jun " width="700" />
Sure, you&rsquo;ve heard the phrase &ldquo;don&rsquo;t let the heat out&rdquo; before, but it turns out that heating your home during the winter is your biggest electrical cost.
To help keep the heat inside, insulate key areas like windows, outlets, baseboards, attic hatches, air conditioners, vents and floors. For windows, use plastic sheets on the window frames and bubble wrap or insulating film on the glass to retain up to 55 percent of your home&rsquo;s heat. You can insulate floors by adding rugs in rooms you use most often. Adding curtains or drapes will also help you retain your home&rsquo;s temperature!
Be sure to open up the drapes on sunny days to help heat up your house naturally!
Also, don&rsquo;t forget to seal gaps around windows, outlets, and the like with caulking or weather stripping (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYOhxK0yauE">scrape off and replace old caulking</a> if necessary!).
<h2>4. Insulate and Control Your Water Heater</h2>
Speaking of heat and energy cost, did you know that heating water can account for 25 percent of your electricity bill?
To cut that down, insulate your hot water tank and the pipes leading up to it (leave the thermostat exposed), and turn your water heater temperature down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you can install low-flow faucets and showerheads to minimize how much hot water you use. If your washing machine has an Eco Warm temperature setting, use that instead of hot or the standard warm temperature for your laundry loads (cold works good too!).
<h2>5. Time to Unplug!</h2>
<div>
As long as your devices and appliances are plugged in, they are using energy&mdash;this adds up over time.
Luckily, there are ways around it, like simply unplugging your devices and appliances. But if that is too inconvenient, try plugging them into a power strip so all you have to do is flip the switch. Or make it even more effortless and plug your electronics and home appliances into a timer that automatically turns them off for you.
For a plugged-in desktop at your home office desk, be sure to program your computer to go into sleep mode, as letting it stay on the screen saver still uses energy.
<h2>6. Energy-Efficient Appliances</h2>
<img alt="man choosing cycle program on washing machine" src="https://d6y5eqdcxq8w3.cloudfront.net/assets/blog/blog_appliances/winter-eco-setting-washer.jpg" title="iStock Credit: monkeybusinessimages" width="700" />
Every appliance you use adds to that monthly energy bill. Thankfully, with the latest innovations in energy efficiency, you can upgrade to appliances with the blue <a href="https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/">ENERGY STAR&reg;</a> label of approval and save on costs!
Plus, you can save even more by efficiently using your appliances. For <a href="https://www.pattersonsappliances.com/catalog/refrigeration/" target="_blank">your refrigerator</a>, set the temperature to the manufacturer-recommended setting and make sure cold air isn&rsquo;t escaping. For washers, wash full laundry loads with cold water and hang-dry your clothes when you can (which actually reduces wear &amp; tear too!). If you don&rsquo;t have time or space to hang-dry, use a sensor-dry cycle, which will turn off the dryer early if your clothes dry before the cycle timer ends.
Curbing energy costs can seem like an endless task, but with these simple steps, you can save big every month. Thinking about <a href="https://www.pattersonsappliances.com/catalog/appliances/" target="_blank">upgrading your appliances</a> to more energy-efficient models? Don&rsquo;t hesitate to <a href="https://www.pattersonsappliances.com/contacts/" target="_blank">stop by or give us a call</a>! We&rsquo;ll help guide you on your choices.
</div>

How to Curb Energy Costs During the Winter

Make the most of harvest season and learn how to store your fall produce all season long.  

It can happen to anyone&mdash;you buy fresh produce at the grocery store and leave it in the refrigerator only to find it a week later looking shriveled and rotten.
To avoid throwing away spoiled veggies and wasting time and money, it&rsquo;s good to know where to store certain fruits and vegetables and which ones shouldn&rsquo;t be stored together. Certain fruits for example give off ethylene gas, which can speed up the ripening process and make other produce items rot faster.
We tend to think we waste food because it ripens and rots faster than we can eat it, and while this can be the case if you don&rsquo;t spend much time cooking, the real issue is taking the time to properly store perishable goods.
A big part of eating fresh, seasonal food is not just storing it the right way but at the right temperature. You can&rsquo;t enjoy any fresh flavors if your fruits and veggies are rotting on the counter, so make sure your fall produce is stored in the fridge and remains fresh enough to enjoy.
<img alt="basket full of fresh fall produce" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2020/food-storage-basket.jpg" title="Brzozowska" />
<h2>What&rsquo;s in Season?</h2>
It's always harvest season somewhere in the world, but the first step is figuring out what local produce is in season. Here are some of our most plentiful fall favorites that are at their tastiest over the next few months:
Fruits:
&bull; Apples
&bull; Figs
&bull; Cranberries
&bull; Pears
&bull; Pomegranates
&bull; Persimmons
&bull; Plums
<img alt="kids reaching for apples and pears" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2020/food-storage-fruit.jpg" title="Nikada" />
Veggies:
&bull; Brussels Sprouts
&bull; Beets
&bull; Eggplant
&bull; Garlic
&bull; Pumpkin
&bull; Sweet potatoes
&bull; Squash
&bull; Turnips
<img alt="cutting fresh pumpkin for cooking" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2020/food-storage-pumpkin.jpg" title="ansonmiao" />
<h2>Produce Storage Tips</h2>
When storing produce, your fridge&rsquo;s crisper drawers will be a lifesaver (and flavor saver) when it comes to keeping your fall favorites fresh. Be sure to set one drawer to high humidity and the other to low humidity to better accommodate different types of produce.
In general, vegetables and leafy greens like brussels sprouts, broccoli, and arugula will be best preserved at a higher humidity; whereas, fruits like figs, pomegranates, and plums do better in a low-humidity environment. Every piece of produce has its specific needs, but sometimes all it takes is the look and feel test. If your avocados are starting to ripen and turn soft too quickly, go ahead and put them in the refrigerator. The cooler environment will help slow down the ripening process so you can enjoy your produce when you&rsquo;re ready.
Determining whether to store your fruits and veggies in or out of the fridge is only half the battle. Remember that ethylene gas we mentioned earlier? Because of this natural gas that some fruits can emit, certain fruits and veggies should be separated no matter where they land. A good rule of thumb is to keep high-ethylene gas-emitting fruits apart from other produce. Apples, avocados, pears, bananas, and tomatoes are a few of the top offenders, with delicate leafy greens being some of the most susceptible to ethylene gas.
Also, remember to keep onions to themselves. On top of making you cry when you cut them, sliced onions are prone to share their fragrance with neighboring produce. The harsh fragrance can especially affect potatoes, causing them to spoil more quickly when onions are present.
<img alt="fridge drawers with fruits and veggies" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2020/food-storage-fridge.jpg" title="gyro" />
<h2>Specific Food Items</h2>
Because different fall fruits and veggies have very different storage needs, let&rsquo;s look at a few conditions that each food item will thrive in:
&bull; Apples
You probably have a fruit bowl in your kitchen&mdash;and keep apples out of it! If you want to enjoy the freshest flavor of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples, store them in a plastic bag in your low-humidity crisper drawer. Just be sure there is an opening to keep gasses from being trapped.
&bull; Pears
Pears don&rsquo;t keep nearly as long as apples once they ripen, so try to eat them soon after purchasing. If stored in the fridge in low humidity, you&rsquo;ll get another week or two of crisp, tasty texture from your pears.
&bull; Pumpkin
This fall staple will survive just fine at room temperature (unless you&rsquo;ve already begun your carving), but it also has the ideal consistency for freezing. Roasted pumpkin that is sliced and diced can be stored in the freezer for months and makes a delicious seasonal side dish to go alongside any dinner.
&bull; Garlic
You can never have too much garlic, especially a fresh clove. Garlic thrives in humidity and it can dry out if stored for too long at room temperature. Place your garlic bulbs in a crisper to retain the flavor and consistency. Once it&rsquo;s removed from the fridge it will start to sprout, so be ready to roast your cloves with your next meal.
<img alt="slicing fresh garlic" src="https://cdn.avbportal.com/magento-media/blog/2020/food-storage-garlic.jpg" title="Amarita" />
<h2>Bonus Tips:</h2>
Store sliced fruit and veggies in an airtight container and refrigerate&mdash;sliced produce can last around 5 days after their initial cut. Whether sliced or left whole, it&rsquo;s also a good idea to wash all your fruits and veggies before eating them. Germs and bacteria can cling to the surface of fruits and vegetables which can contaminate your cutting boards or eating surfaces. Most produce items will benefit from a quick hose down under the faucet.
Whether you&rsquo;re preparing a fall feast or you just want to enjoy fresh fruits and veggies, with these tips in mind, you&rsquo;ll have delicious produce all autumn long. Give us a call or visit us today to shop our selection of refrigeration appliances and make the most of your harvest bounty.

How to Store Fall Fruits and Vegetables in the Fridge 

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