Green Kitchen Ideas
Going green is increasing in popularity with homeowners. from using solar panels to eco friendly products, homeowners are more conscious of how important it is to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Since kitchens are one of the biggest energy hogs in any house, let’s start with upgrading your kitchen.
Eco friendly products have been slow to make it into kitchen remodelling and construction projects. however, there is an increasing availability of eco friendly home products available encouraging homeowners to go green.
This article includes both new green options and also encourages you to look at what you have and see what can be updated thereby saving landfills from more perfectly good but dated parts of your kitchen.
Going Green – Kitchen Flooring
Bamboo flooring is one of the most popular choices today. It looks and feels like wood. Bamboo is actually a grass, capable of growing more than two feet a day, so it is a much more sustainable building material than wood. Bamboo has a different and, I like to think, fresher look than hardwood.
Cork is another green flooring option you might consider. Cork tiles are made from the outer layer of bark from a cork tree. the tree’s inner layer of bark remains after the outer layer is harvested so the tree is able to heal itself over a short period of time. Cork floors are very forgiving, so there is less breakage from fallen glassware and plates. Cork also comes in many colors and can be laid in tiles or planks so you can create a custom look for your floor. of course cork is great sound dampener too so depending on how your house is configured this might also be a vote in its favor.
Eco Friendly Kitchen Cabinets
Finding kitchen cabinets made from eco friendly materials is not so easy. if you call around, you may find a cabinetmaker who is experienced in building green kitchen cabinets. since the principles of cabinet making are the same, you want to find someone who’s willing to use wheat board (which is made from wheat straw, a waste product, and non-toxic adhesives) instead of solid wood or particleboard.
If your cabinets are old but solid, consider a coat of paint and new hardware. I’m going to paint my melamine cabinets using a melamine primer and paint. the doors are more solid than most products on the market today and with some new chrome hardware they’ll look as new as the stainless steel appliances.
Going Green – Kitchen Countertops
Recycled glass countertops are a new market for recycling glass and are quickly becoming a hot addition to any kitchen remodelling project.
You can also find several options for using other recycled materials in the kitchen remodeling process including counter tops fashioned from recycled paper, aluminum, or bamboo.
Counter top overlays are a great eco option to consider. There are now companies that will overlay your existing counter top with a new surface primarily comprised of recycled material such as glass. the original counter top is still underneath and a custom cut slab fits on top and is affixed with special adhesives. not only can you have a green product, you keep more material out of the local landfill. This work can be completed in a day or two without the disruption and mess normally associated with counter replacement and is less costly than a complete replacement.
Energy Efficient Appliances
No kitchen can be a completely green kitchen, since both cooking and cooling food requires a lot of power. however there is a good selection of energy efficient appliances that can dramatically reduce your consumption of power. look for appliances that have an Energy Star rating. for example, dishwashers with an Energy Star rating offer energy saving cycle options and a no heat drying feature.
You can also save a tremendous amount of water (and money) in your kitchen by installing low flow aerators to reduce the amount of water you waste by controlling its release through your faucet. Or, installing a hands free faucet will allow water to flow only when someone activates the built-in sensor.
Check if your city uses time of day billing for electricity usage. if so, you’ll save by running the dishwasher during off-peak hours in the late evening.
Going Green – Energy Saving Tankless Water Heaters
Traditional water heaters heat water continuously, keeping the water hot until it’s used. Tankless water heaters only turn on when you actually need hot water. Water is channeled through rapidly heated copper pipes that heat water in mere seconds. When the hot water faucet is turned off, the water heater shuts off as well. Tankless water heaters can be twice as efficient as traditional hot water heaters.
Going Green is A Long Term Investment
Creating an energy saving, eco friendly kitchen can be challenging. Installing eco friendly floors, kitchen cabinets and energy efficient appliances can be time consuming and expensive upfront. however, the money you save over the long term and the potential increase to the value of your homeby going green initially spent and make your friends green with envy.
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