Batch Cooking is a great way to save energy.

I love cooking, but as energy prices rise, I am mindful of how and when I use my oven. Each time it is switched on I add to the amount of kWh I have added to my Octopus Energy bill. At 40p per kWh for electricity, every kWh counts! So I only use the oven when I know it is going to be full.

Batch cooking is a great way of getting the most out of your oven. I grow my own vegetables and love roasting them if I get a glut. Even vegetables that have seen better days get roasted and frozen. I just can’t cope with food waste1!

I make sheets of frozen vegetables by freezing them flat. It is ideal if you want to make lasagna on a day when time is limited or when you need a meal in a hurry.

@sarah_go_green Home made #lasagna. Reduces food waste and uses less energy. #foodwaste #ukmum #costoflivingcrisis #moneysavingtips ♬ original sound – sarah_go_green

It isn’t a new idea. Batch cooking and only using every shelf on the oven is how it used to be as I was growing up. I think we have just all been too comfortable using energy without really considering the consequences.

How much energy does an oven use?

An electric oven uses around 2000 to 2200 watts an hour. So that would add 2kWh to 2.2kWh to my energy bill each use. I am currently paying 40p per kWh (the price cap is 27p per kWh) so that would cost me somewhere between 80p and 96p. It doesn’t sound like a lot but when you add all the extra kWh hours up at the end of the month it really can make a big difference to your energy bill.

I don’t have a gas oven but as I am paying using over 7p per kWh that would obviously work out cheaper.

My favourite method of cooking has to be by slow cooker!! If you don’t have one get one!! They are great for batch cooking curries or stews and for very little effort and money you have great-tasting food!! It is estimated that a slow cooker uses 1.3 kWh over an 8-hour period. So it could cost as little as 52p to cook a delicious meal.