Green Kitchen Remodeling Trends
I think most people would agree when you ask what room in their house is the "heart" of the home. The kitchen. Far and wide. It’s the place where your family tends to spend the most amount of time, where guests congregate and talk for hours and usually where you tend to spend your most amount of money too. In fact, did you know that when it comes to kitchen remodeling the kitchen is one of the easiest rooms to save money in? If you’ve been looking for some cool ways to save money in your kitchen and become a little more energy efficient, the kitchen is the best place to start and thankfully there are some great tips below to help you get started.
Sensor Faucets or Foot Pedals
If you are looking for a really smart and creative way to control the amount of water you use in your kitchen, a great place to start is with sensor faucets or foot pedals. These both work differently, but they do the same thing. The sensor faucet is a new thing that you may have started to see more and more over the past 10 years - and I believe it started in Airports as a way to control water and allow people to wash their hands, without ever touching the knobs on a faucet. There is usually a sensor at the base of the faucet, you put your hands under the faucet, it senses your hands, and turns on. When you move your hands away, it turns off. It’s actually really ingenious if you think about it! The foot pedal goes underneath the lip on the bottom cabinet of where your sink is. Its literally a metal pedal that when stepped on, the water turns on, when you take your foot off, the water turns off. Both of these are good ideas, it just depends on what style you like more and how much your budget is. A foot pedal costs around $200 to $1000 depending on the style and the materials. A sensor faucet can cost considerably less at around $46 for a really basic sensor to around $450 for all the bells and whistles (and design features) you could want.
Energy Efficient Dishwashers
Some people seem to think that when it comes to kitchen remodeling that hand washing wastes less water than dishwashers. Sadly, those people are wrong! It actually takes less water to use your dishwasher. But, there are a few things you are going to want to consider when it comes to using your dishwasher in order to save money and be greener.
- Make sure that the appliance is not only energy efficient, but that it actually has the Energy Star Label on it. Energy Star was started by the government to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the years, the little Energy Star symbol has become one of the most trusted symbols when it comes to energy efficient appliances in people's homes. One thing you need to remember is that this isn’t just some silly symbol; the "products" have to go through a wide range of tests and meet certain sets of criteria in order to even bother being labeled Energy Efficient.
- Make sure you use a lighter setting rather than heavy setting when using the dishwasher and instead of a heated dry, let them air dry in the dishwasher or take them out and hand dry them with a towel not a paper towel.
- Don't pre-rinse the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Tests have been shown that unneeded rinsing beforehand is not only useless, but it can also waste up to 20 gallons of water!
Energy Efficient Refrigerators
Beyond just making sure you don’t stand in front of an open refrigerator figuring out what you want, there are other ways to save on energy by using an energy efficient refrigerator. Like the dishwasher above, you can find Energy Star appliances such as fridges to help save on energy usage and help you save money on energy bills. While there are a lot of different models and sizes to choose from, make sure you figure out exactly what size you need because that will also help you to be more energy efficient as well. Also, if you have any old refrigerators, consider throwing them out. Old refrigerators can be big energy hogs and may be why your bill has been so high!
Sensor Faucets or Foot Pedals
If you are looking for a really smart and creative way to control the amount of water you use in your kitchen, a great place to start is with sensor faucets or foot pedals. These both work differently, but they do the same thing. The sensor faucet is a new thing that you may have started to see more and more over the past 10 years - and I believe it started in Airports as a way to control water and allow people to wash their hands, without ever touching the knobs on a faucet. There is usually a sensor at the base of the faucet, you put your hands under the faucet, it senses your hands, and turns on. When you move your hands away, it turns off. It’s actually really ingenious if you think about it! The foot pedal goes underneath the lip on the bottom cabinet of where your sink is. Its literally a metal pedal that when stepped on, the water turns on, when you take your foot off, the water turns off. Both of these are good ideas, it just depends on what style you like more and how much your budget is. A foot pedal costs around $200 to $1000 depending on the style and the materials. A sensor faucet can cost considerably less at around $46 for a really basic sensor to around $450 for all the bells and whistles (and design features) you could want.
Energy Efficient Dishwashers
Some people seem to think that when it comes to kitchen remodeling that hand washing wastes less water than dishwashers. Sadly, those people are wrong! It actually takes less water to use your dishwasher. But, there are a few things you are going to want to consider when it comes to using your dishwasher in order to save money and be greener.
- Make sure that the appliance is not only energy efficient, but that it actually has the Energy Star Label on it. Energy Star was started by the government to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the years, the little Energy Star symbol has become one of the most trusted symbols when it comes to energy efficient appliances in people's homes. One thing you need to remember is that this isn’t just some silly symbol; the "products" have to go through a wide range of tests and meet certain sets of criteria in order to even bother being labeled Energy Efficient.
- Make sure you use a lighter setting rather than heavy setting when using the dishwasher and instead of a heated dry, let them air dry in the dishwasher or take them out and hand dry them with a towel not a paper towel.
- Don't pre-rinse the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Tests have been shown that unneeded rinsing beforehand is not only useless, but it can also waste up to 20 gallons of water!
Energy Efficient Refrigerators
Beyond just making sure you don’t stand in front of an open refrigerator figuring out what you want, there are other ways to save on energy by using an energy efficient refrigerator. Like the dishwasher above, you can find Energy Star appliances such as fridges to help save on energy usage and help you save money on energy bills. While there are a lot of different models and sizes to choose from, make sure you figure out exactly what size you need because that will also help you to be more energy efficient as well. Also, if you have any old refrigerators, consider throwing them out. Old refrigerators can be big energy hogs and may be why your bill has been so high!