It's Not Easy Going Green

Energy Saving Kitchen Remodeling

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, recently there are more eco friendly home products available encouraging homeowners to "go green".

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.

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.

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.

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 countertops fashioned from recycled paper, aluminum, or bamboo.

Go Green With Energy Efficient Appliances

No kitchen can be a completely green kitchen, since both cooking and cooling food requires a lot of power. 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.

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 home by going green, could far exceed the amount you initially spent and make your friends green with envy.