Is Your Kitchen Hurting Your Wallet & the Environment?
If you’re at all like us, you want your home to have as little impact upon the environment as possible. If you’re like everyone in the world, you don’t want throw away money. At least in the kitchen, these two desires go hand in hand. One the biggest issues in the kitchen is energy use. 40% of most households’ energy consumption takes place in the kitchen, which makes it a great place to start evaluating energy use in your home. Saving energy means saving green! There are also other drains on your natural resources and pocket book besides energy. Here are some easy tips on how to waste-proof your kitchen.
The Fridge:
Even if it's new and shiny....check that fridge!
1. Double check the seal on your fridge to make sure it’s not leaking cool air and making your fridge use extra energy! Simple, but a huge source of energy waste in many homes. Just use a dollar bill and see if you can slide it in when the door is closed. If so, it’s an easy fix. Here’s an article on how to do it.
2. Did you know that old refrigerators (namely those ten or older) can account for 15% of your energy demand! That’s crazy! So when you replace it, sticking it the garage to hold extra food will end up costing you a lot in the long run. If you’re trying to figure the best new fridge to purchase, here’s a good comparison based on energy efficiency.
At the Sink:
3. Most dishwashers now can thoroughly clean your dishes without rinsing. That rinsing uses up to seven times as much water as your dishwasher! So if possible,load your dishes straight into the dishwasher without the extra work or waste of rinsing. If you have an older model dishwasher, you can reduce the ecological and economical cost of rising by using cold water instead of hot.
Elsewhere:
4. If your plumbing fixtures were installed before 1992, they are considerably less efficient than their counterparts. These old parts are water hogs. It is worth getting some quotes on updating them.
5. You don’t have to buy new window in order to keep more of your heat and A/C in the house where it belongs. Often, just cleaning the edges and redoing any caulking and weatherproofing will make a huge difference. If you want to get more info, here’s a quick bit on how to go about that.
6. Always unplug your small appliances after use. As long as they are plugged in, they will continue to draw a small amount of energy from the outlet. Now, it’s only a small bit, but if you consider how many things in your home stay plugged in, that’s a good amount of energy waste. When you think about how much will be wasted over the years, it’s worth making it a new habit to unplug that toaster or blender as soon as you’re done!
A nature-oriented kitchen
7. Are you designing for the dump (Design for the dump: designing and producing products in order for them to be used up or obsolete within a specific time period)? When you buy products for your kitchen, you have two choice. You can either go for a quick fix, which will not only cost you money when you have to more frequently replace it, but creates more waste for your local landfill, or you can invest in products that will continue to serve you well for the life of your home. We see this the most in countertops. The average man-made tops last about 10 years at best. That means if you choose a man-made over a natural material like granite, in your lifetime you could have to purchase and then send to the dump up to 5 or 6 whole sets of plastic countertops!
Hopefully these tips will get you inspired to go green in your home! We’d love to hear any more tips you have to share with our readers or any tips you have for us on how we can be more green as a business.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you around.
