Home Upgrades 101: Three Energy Efficient Upgrades For Your Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the home. It is typically used daily for cooking, socializing, and eating. As one of the busiest rooms, it's also one of the most expensive rooms in the home when it comes to energy usage. Fortunately, it isn't too difficult to make your kitchen more energy-efficient. So how should you go about making your kitchen a little more green? Here are three tips:
1. Upgrade Your Appliances
One of the most effective ways to make your kitchen a little more energy-efficient is by upgrading your appliances. There are a lot of energy-efficient appliances available today. Everything from dishwashers to microwaves are available in energy-efficient models. If you have a smaller budget, start by upgrading the appliances that use the most energy. Refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers are the big energy users in the kitchen; so replace those with newer models that feature the Energy Star rating first. You can always swap out your microwave and oven exhaust later.
2. Invest In New Faucets
Another way you can make your kitchen "greener" is by replacing your current faucet with a low-flow version. Although the name may make them sound weaker, they aren't. Low-flow faucets still provide strong water pressure, they just use less water. You might also want to consider investing in a faucet with a water filter. This will ensure you get good tasting water, without the need for bottled water.
3. Energy-Efficient Lights
Finally, consider upgrading your kitchen lighting. If your kitchen uses the older incandescent lights, just swap them out for new LED or CFL light bulbs. These light bulbs come in a variety of watts, which allows you to achieve the perfect lighting. These bulbs also come in a variety of sizes and styles, which means they can easily fit into any type of kitchen lighting. Whether you have recessed lighting or wall sconces, you can find an LED or CFL bulb that will fit. Although they are initially a little more expensive, they provide better lighting for a fraction of the cost of traditional bulbs. They also last a lot longer, so you won't need to purchase new bulbs every few months.
As you can see, there are several ways to make your kitchen more energy-efficient. So whether you want to completely overhaul your kitchen or just want to make a few tweaks, keep these energy efficient upgrades in mind.