Your Guide to Saving Energy in Your North Shore Chicago Home This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has arrived on Chicago's North Shore! It's time to start prepping your turkey, setting your holiday table and welcoming friends and family inside for the big Thanksgiving feast. But as you begin to bake and roast and sauté the long weekend away, there are a few adjustments you may like to make in order to keep energy costs down.

As your North Shore real estate expert, I'm sharing the following five tips for saving energy in your Winnetka, Glencoe, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Northbrook area home this Thanksgiving:

Keep the oven door closed
You may be tempted to peek in on your pumpkin pie time and time again, but every time you open that oven door, the temperature is reduced by as much as 25 degrees! Instead, consider using the oven light and you may just find you're able to plate your feast just a little sooner.

Turn down the heat
All of your holiday baking and cooking over the next few days will put off more heat than you know in your North Shore home. Head to the thermostat to turn down the temperature as your oven will do the job of warming up your guests and you can save on energy costs!

Use glass or ceramic pans
Did you know that these types of dishes retain heat so well that they will continue to cook your food even after they're out of the oven? By sticking to these when preparing your Thanksgiving meal, you can turn down your oven by up to 25 degrees and still see the same results!

Install a dimmer switch
You will likely be spending many hours in your Winnetka, Glencoe, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Northbrook area dining room this holiday season, so consider installing a dimmer switch on the main light fixture. This is an inexpensive project and can double the light bulb's lifespan just by dimming its brightness by 10 percent!

Use the dishwasher
Did you know that hand-washing your dishes uses more water than your dishwasher? Stick to hand-washing only the dishes that cannot be placed in the dishwasher and always make sure you have a full load before pressing start on that wash cycle. You can also leave the door open to let your dishes air dry and save the energy used during the heat cycle.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And as always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions about buying or selling a home on Chicago's North Shore!

Janie Bress
Your North Shore Real Estate Expert

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