Energy-Efficient Features Every Kitchen Should Have
The kitchen is the heart and soul of your home. It is where your family congregates. It's where you regularly gather and share meals over special occasions, and cherished memories are made there.
The kitchen gets the most use than any other living space in the house. So, it makes perfect sense that when you remodel yours, you will want an energy-efficient kitchen. Between the lights and appliances, a lot of energy is being expended at all times of the day and night. Before you know it, your energy bill could skyrocket, especially during times when you have guests over.
You may think that decreasing energy usage in a high-energy hub like the kitchen is a tall order, but you may be surprised at how easy it is to accomplish. You can incorporate some basic kitchen energy-efficiency changes in almost any home remodeling project.
Let's take a look at some important energy-efficient features that your kitchen should have.
3Rs Construction & Remodeling is your professional contractor in Salem, Oregon! When it comes to your kitchen remodel, our team can recommend must have energy-efficient features for your home.
Self-Warming Floors
Imagine the luxury of walking across your kitchen barefoot with the feeling of warmth underneath your feet. You will especially appreciate this during the cold winter months. In addition to a hot cup of coffee and a comforting blanket, a warm kitchen floor can add an extra layer of coziness to your home.
Warming floors have the potential to save energy and could save you considerable money on your utility bills.
If you are planning a kitchen remodel project, here are the types of floors that are ideally suitable for kitchen floor heating:
Tile, Marble, and Stone
Both tile and stone are the best types of floors for kitchen floor heating since they have high thermal conductivity. That means that heat transfers quickly to the floor surface. Tile and stone make the system more efficient because they both retain heat well.
These materials work well in areas with high heat loss. That means that if your kitchen loses heat frequently, stone and tile are superb options to maintain consistent heat throughout your kitchen.
Wood
There are various types of wood flooring, like engineered timber, soft woods, hardwood, bamboo, and parquet. Engineered timber is the best of them all to use with kitchen floor heating because it responds well with changes in floor temperature.
Other wood flooring also can work effectively. But with softer and less dense wood, you need to pay close attention to the thickness of floorboards so that they don't act as an insulator and block the heat.
Because wood is a natural material, it is affected by the humidity of the environment as heat changes its moisture content, which can change the appearance of the floor. That is why it is vital to select wood flooring that has the correct moisture content and heating cycle.
Laminate
Most laminates are safe to use with kitchen floor heating; however, you'll want to be sure to check with the flooring manufacturer before installing the system. When selecting the laminate, you'll need to make sure that the material is as dense as possible. This will ensure that it has good thermal conductivity. The denser the material, the better it will transfer heat.
Need help with your kitchen remodel to make it more energy efficient? Contact 3Rs Construction & Remodeling, located in Salem Oregon today!
LED Lighting
When it comes to reducing energy consumption, kitchen lighting is pivotal. There are various types of lighting that provide viable alternatives to traditional lighting sources.
Let's begin by shedding light on LED lighting. LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. LEDs are the fastest-growing architectural and interior lighting type. Swapping out incandescent lights for LED lighting is a positive first step toward achieving an energy-efficient kitchen.
If you're planning a kitchen renovation soon, this is the perfect opportunity to install LED lights and save on your energy bills. Here are a couple of the big advantages of LED lights in your kitchen:
Energy Efficiency — A 13-watt bulb produces approximately 600 lumens of light. What does this mean? It's about an 85 percent improvement in energy efficiency over incandescent bulbs.
Long-Lasting — The standard LED bulbs last more than 30,000 hours. You could have your lights on full-blast 10 hours a day for over eight years and still not burn out the bulb.
Accent Lighting
A major benefit of accent lighting is that it allows you to highlight specific areas or features without having to light up the whole space. This means you can decrease the amount of energy you use while maintaining a high level of functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Accent lighting emphasizes objects by focusing light directly on them. It can be used at the kitchen entrance or to create a dramatic effect in the kitchen. Points of visual interest could be created in the kitchen by highlighting artwork, plants, or architectural details.
Looking for an experienced Salem home contractor to remodel your kitchen to be energy efficient? Contact 3Rs Construction & Remodeling today for a FREE quote!
Skylights
A great way to create an energy-saving kitchen is with skylights. Along with improving the appearance of your home, skylights give you energy efficiency year-round. They will help heat your kitchen with natural light during the cold winter season and keep it cool during warm periods.
So, when you plan your next kitchen remodel in Salem, consider the numerous benefits that skylights will bring to your kitchen. They include:
Extra heat in the winter — Sunlight that passes through glass carries heat energy that warms your kitchen and decreases furnace expenses. Energy costs are reduced during the colder months.
Free lighting — During daylight hours, a skylight decreases dependence on other electrical light sources.
Low-Flow Faucets
If you include installing low-flow faucets in your next house remodel, you're bound to make for a more energy-smart kitchen. Modern low-flow faucets decrease the water flow by roughly 30 percent and, in some cases, more. The typical faucet runs 2.2 gallons per minute, compared to low-flow models that run 1.5 gallons per minute.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, a low-flow faucet that reduces water flow by about 30 percent can save a home 700 gallons of water every year. That is the equivalent of 40 showers worth of water.
Consider how much money you'll save on your utility bill by changing from a conventional faucet to a low-flow faucet in your kitchen. You will use less hot water, and that means less energy used to heat the water.
Trust 3Rs Construction & Remodeling with Your Next Kitchen Remodel in Salem, Oregon
If you intend to embark on a kitchen remodel in Salem in the next year, we invite you to allow 3Rs Construction & Remodeling to perform a beautiful, transformative kitchen renovation in your Polk County or Marion County home.
We'll give you a realistic time frame for our work, and you'll let us know an appropriate time for us to perform it. Our detail-oriented home improvement contractors will work diligently to finish your kitchen on time.
Call us at (503) 363-1059, so we can get started on realizing your dream kitchen remodel today!