The kitchen is to Thanksgiving, what pigskin is to football, a necessity. Each Thanksgiving, Americans prepare 46 million turkeys, and it takes a lot of electricity to roast that many birds.

Eight kilowatt-hours of electricity is needed to cook an average turkey, which means Americans use 36.8 million kWh of electricity for one holiday.

Below are eight easy ways to reduce unnecessary energy use while enjoying all of your family’s favorite holiday dishes.

• Don’t buy a bigger turkey than you need. According to Food Network, plan for 1 1/2 pounds per guest.
• Lower the thermostat a couple of degrees before your guests arrive. Your house will warm up from guests and using the oven.
• Open the oven door as few times as possible. Opening the oven door can lower oven temperatures by as much as 25 degrees.
• Try using small appliances to cook instead of the stovetop or oven. Thanksgiving side dishes use one to two kWh of energy per dish.
• Let your dishes air-dry to save up to 10 percent on dishwashing energy costs.
• Use glass and ceramic baking dishes. They retain heat better than metal, allowing you to reduce the oven temperature.
• Cook oven dishes along with the main course to save time and energy.
• Let leftovers completely cool before putting them in the fridge.