Remodel Your Kitchen the Green Way
The kitchen is your home's energy hog, what with heating the room, the stove, and the water, lighting all the surfaces, and running all the appliances. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the kitchen's tasks account for 41.5 percent of a home's energy expenditure. So get aggressive if you remodel this room-take a sharp knife to your energy wastefulness. Since the kitchen is a heavy water-use area, installing low-flow aerators on your kitchen faucets should be a priority project. Better yet, getting a pull-out sprayer faucet allows you to better moderate how much water you really need.
Since kitchen users rely on hot water to clean up their dishes, switching to an energy-efficient water heater can make the room a lot greener. Gas-powered heaters are the most efficient, as are tankless heaters that only supply as much water as you need on demand.
Speaking of gas heating, nothing beats a gas stove-they're better for cooking and more energy-efficient than electric stoves. Professional cooks generally prefer gas, which is also widely considered the greener option.
Other appliances also use a lot of energy, so seek out green versions of refrigerators, dishwashers, and vent fans. Look for the ENERGY STAR label, which indicates that the appliance complies with the requirements of the energy-savings program designed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Another way of reducing energy use on appliances is to make sure yours are the right size for your needs. Those with small kitchens or modest needs might think about installing a smaller stove, such as one with a 20" cook top, or mini refrigerator. If your appliances are too big, they use energy to heat or cool space that doesn't need such high-intensity treatment.
While most kitchen-remodelers might not put exterior-wall insulation high on their to-do lists, making sure there the kitchen is well insulated is one of the most important things you can do to improve energy efficiency. This will likely involve blowing fiberglass or natural materials like cellulose and mineral wool into the walls and floor. To make sure you get enough insulation, turn to handy online tools that help you calculate how much you need.
While the kitchen offers many other greening opportunities-a home recycling center or eco-friendly flooring-those listed here are some of the most energy-saving improvements you can make to this most-important room.
