Don't Gobble Up Energy Costs This Thanksgiving

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (11/22/2011) - The holidays are an exciting time for everyone. With friends and family getting together to celebrate, parties and dinners of all sizes will be planned. With every great festivity or family tradition comes the delicious food and drinks. Unfortunately, when it comes to cooking a feast like Thanksgiving, electricity bills can suffer. Direct Energy provides some beneficial tips that all families can use to stop gobbling electricity costs while still being able enjoy the holidays and their favorite meals.

The National Turkey Federation estimates that 46 million turkeys were consumed last Thanksgiving and the average weight per turkey was 16 pounds. It is recommended to cook a thawed, stuffed turkey of that size for at least 4-4.5 hours in an electric oven set at 350 degrees. An electric oven set at 350 degrees for an hour uses 2 kWh of electricity. You could be consuming roughly 8 kWh of electricity just to cook your turkey, without including side dishes! Loosely translated, that's nearly 27 million turkeys that may be roasting just in electric ovens alone. Imagine more than 213 million kWh of electricity may be used this Thanksgiving just to cook the grand marshal of the holiday meal!

With all of the other additional expenses that the holidays ensue, your monthly electricity bill shouldn't be one of them. Help gobble up unnecessary energy consumption while still relishing in all of the food and fun during the holidays. Direct Energy offers the following tips for carving down your kWh usage this Thanksgiving:

• Consider an alternate method of cooking your turkey, like grilling or frying it outside. These methods will cut down on cooking time as well so that your turkey can make it to your table faster.
• If possible, use a crock pot or microwave for side dishes.
• Take advantage of the pre-heated oven by preparing your cakes, cookies and side dishes while others are cooking.
• Turn the thermostat down to 68 degrees or lower. You can enjoy the warmth being emitted from the oven and stove.
• Since heat rises, switch the blades of your ceiling fans upwards to draw heat down into the rooms you're using.
• Use an ice chest or cooler for drinks if you're hosting a large group. This cuts down on wasting electricity when the refrigerator door is opened and closed frequently.
• Use energy efficient LED lighting for decorating.
• Close doors and leave off lights and ceiling fans in rooms you're not using.

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.