Energy Efficient Custom Kitchen Remodeling

Investing in energy efficient custom kitchen remodeling may add a little to the budget up front but can save your thousands over the life our your kitchen.

Making choices during the initial stages of  the custom kitchen remodeling process can have a drastic effect on how energy efficient and enduring your kitchen will be over the years.  Be sure to look beyond beauty and style and consider energy use, water consumption, and durability of materials. Sometimes investing in these features may mean somewhat higher up front costs. But when you consider the cost over time based on savings, it becomes clear that your initial custom kitchen remodel choices can be tailored to save you a great deal of money in the long run.

Energy efficiency custom kitchen remodeling requires planning for water and energy conservation as well as considering each material we use in the remodel based on durability and longevity in addition to beauty.

First, consider how to best use natural light in custom kitchen remodeling. In many cases, natural light streaming into your kitchen may cut down on the hours your family needs to reply on artificial lighting. Adding a skylight or replacing old windows with more energy-efficient dual paned ones may help minimize your heating, cooling, and lighting costs.  Taking your home’s orientation to the sun into account is important in sunny Southern California. While dual pane windows are helpful at energy conservation, realizing that west facing windows get a lot of sun in California is important.  If the windows in your kitchen face west,  perhaps consider reflective glass low-e coatings as part of your custom kitchen remodel.

Once you’ve decided how to use natural light, consider the type of artificial lighting that you’ll choose. Compact fluorescent and LED lights direct most of their energy consumption to making light while incandescent bulbs wastes 90% of the energy it consumes. Using fluorescent rather than incandescent lighting may cut your energy usage costs in half over the life of your kitchen.

Consider motion sensor lights or timers if some members of your family have a tendency to leave lights on. Dimmers are another way to save energy with lighting. Visit Energy.gov for a wide range of information on lighting and conservation.

Next consider your appliance choices. Since the refrigerator runs 24/7, choosing one that offers the most energy efficiency is a must to save money over the long haul. Your dishwasher can also save your hundreds of dollars a year in both water and electricity. Look for an Energy Star label to show that an appliance has met strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Many appliances have stickers affixed to the front which show exactly how much energy they take to run to make comparison shopping easier. Don’t overlook these labels when making your decision.

Let’s look at consider water use. Choosing low-flow faucets could save hundreds of gallons of water per year. If you insulate your hot water pipes, it can save energy by preventing heat loss as the water flows from the hot water heater to faucets. The EPA’s WaterSense program was designed to help consumers save water and money.

Perhaps the wisest choice for your custom kitchen remodeling is choosing a professional for the job. With over 30 years of experience in the providing custom kitchen remodeling services, Cabinet Wholesalers will assist in making your new custom kitchen energy efficient as well as functional and beautiful.