It takes a lot of energy to cook all day and to host a house full of company for Thanksgiving. So, while you’re making your grocery list this holiday season, start a list of ways you and your family can cut down on energy use.

Some ideas:

• Lower the thermostat. If you’re cooking all day, your kitchen will get hot. Some of that heat will spill into the house. There’s no need to keep the thermostat at its usual setting.
• Don’t turn your oven on until it’s full. Cook several dishes at once. If their recommended cooking temperatures are within 25 degrees of each other in either direction, everything will cook as it should.
• Identify dishes that you can cook in the microwave, which heats food faster than the oven and uses about a third of the electricity.
• Run your dishwasher only if it’s full. Using the dishwasher saves more energy and water than handwashing.
• Cool leftovers on the counter before putting them into the refrigerator. That will keep the fridge from having to work so hard to cool off hot food.