Energy efficiency is always important on the stove or in the oven. In winter, energy costs are higher and those wasted BTUs really start to add up. In the summer, heating costs may be lower, but careless cooking results in wasted heat, which fills the home and causes the cooling system to work harder. Gas or electric, your stove is vital to energy efficiency. For exact information be sure to consult with a kitchen contractor, however there are ways you can cut your energy usage by as much as half and they will cost you nothing.

On the Stove

• Using the correctly sized pan is essential: a six-inch pan on an eight-inch burner results in a lot of wasted heat. Also, don't use a 10-inch skillet to fry one egg. Pare things down as much as possible. Make an effort to use only as much heat as you need.
• Use lids when boiling water and other liquids. This traps heat in and boils the water faster. This will also keep your kitchen cooler.
• Turn the heat off early whenever possible. The remaining heat in the pan will finish the job, especially with cast iron skillets. Use hard boiled eggs as an example; as soon as the water comes to boil, turn off the heat and cover for at least 15 minutes. In that span of time the eggs will be hard-boiled and you will have used roughly half the energy.

In the Oven

• Again, turn the heat off early. This time, you have even more heat to work with. Ovens are not built to be efficient so you have to trick them. You can turn off casseroles, pizzas, etc. up to 10-15 minutes early without any problem.
• Avoid preheating as well. Just be wary, this can harm some recipes or frozen foods. Usually there will be a disclaimer telling you that you must preheat. Otherwise it will cook either way, so don't waste the energy.
• Don't open the door! Every time the oven door is opened a good portion of heat is lost, enough to make that oven get right back to work. If you must check on your project, try looking through the glass on the door. If you can't see through it then it's time to clean the oven. So...

Keep the oven and stove clean.
On the stove a buildup around the burners actually absorbs heat and makes the stove work harder to cook the food. In the oven, try to use the self-cleaning option sparingly, so try not to let residue collect. Furthermore, only use the self-cleaning option when the oven is already hot to take advantage of the free heat.