Keep your electricity costs low while entertaining

Upcoming holidays mean entertaining friends and family, but it also means using more electricity to feed and keep visitors comfortable. Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy entertaining and energy savings. Here are six tips from Hydro One to help keep your electricity costs low while hosting: 1. When cooking on your stovetop, match the size of the pan to the heating element — more heat will get to the pan and less will be lost. 2. Allow leftovers to cool before placing them in the fridge or freezer. 3. Don't check on the cooking too often. Opening the door to the oven will let heat escape and lower the internal temperature. 4. Lower the thermostat — take advantage of the increased body heat and cooking to help keep your house warm instead. 5. Consider making meals a potluck and ask your guests to bring side dishes to reduce the amount of cooking required in your home. 6. Don't wait until the week to clean up — weekends and statutory holidays have off-peak pricing, meaning you don't need to wait to run the dishwasher, vacuum, and laundry machine.