Five Tips to a San Fernando Valley Green Kitchen Remodel
If you are planning to make improvements to your kitchen, why not incorporate eco-friendly changes that will be better for the environment and your wallet? Often spending no a or a little more money upfront will produce significant health benefits and financial savings in the years to come. Hugs Construction provides five tips for a San Fernando Valley green kitchen remodel project.
Five Tips for a San Fernando Valley Green Kitchen Remodel Project
1. Upgrade to ENERGY STAR Appliances – One of the most exciting changes in any Valley Village home remodeling project is purchasing new appliances. Not only do you get to update the look, but you often get rewarded with fun new features of the items. For example, a dishwasher that has different settings for crystal, pots and pans, etc. or a refrigerator that has programmable recipes on its doors. Additionally, when considering a San Fernando Valley green kitchen remodel, the main benefits of purchasing eco-friendly appliances are reduced energy and water usage, lower greenhouse gas emmissions and lower bills.
ENERGY STAR appliances can use anywhere from 10-50% than traditional ones. The ENERGY STAR website claims that its refrigerators use 40% less energy than models from 2001, and about 15% than other traditional models sold today. Their dishwashers use 41% less energy than required by federal standards. These improvements will not only leave extra money in your wallet each month, but won’t leave you feeling so guilty to run the dishwasher every few days.
2. Choose Eco-Friendly Countertops – While most people tend to upgrade to granite countertops, they may not be the best choice. Other than being an expensive option, recent research has suggested that these countertops may be bad for your health, as they contain radon and other natural radiation emissions. There are more options to countertops for your San Fernando Valley green kitchen remodel. Sunset magazine recommends choosing from recycled glass countertops, where pieces of recycled glass are mixed into a base of cement, concrete, or resin. This saves the glass from being thrown away.
Sustainable wood countertops are another choice to consider for your Valley Village home remodeling project. These are butcher-block counters that are made from recycled or reclaimed lumber. The benefit of this type of countertop is not only that it’s eco-friendly, but that it allows you to prep your food right on the counter, as it’s the same material as of a wood cutting board.
Another great option is to purchase recycled aluminum countertops that will give your kitchen an ultra-modern look, especially if you are installing stainless steel appliances to match. Purchasing these countertops keeps the aluminum from being thrown away, and recycles it.
3. Install Sustainable Kitchen Cabinets – When upgrading your kitchen cabinets, why not choose materials that will be better for your health? Talk to your Valley Village contractor about using sustainable wood in your San Fernando Valley green kitchen remodel. These countertops have several advantages. They are “certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to be produced using sustainable forest management practices. They feature formaldehyde-free glues and finishes with low volatile organic compounds that give off little or no toxic fumes. Check product literature closely to ensure the cabinets you choose meet these criteria,” according to Houselogic.com.
4. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting – One of the most inexpensive and easiest aspects of your San Fernando Valley green kitchen remodel project should be replacing your lights with energy-efficient ones. Purchase fluorescent lights, and you can end up using up to 90% less electricity than with standard lamps. EarthEasy claims that “electric lighting burns up to 25% of the average home energy budget. The electricity used over the lifetime of a single incandescent bulb costs five to 10 times the original purchase price of the bulb itself.” Purchasing Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) will save you money every month on your electricity bill. They also have several other advantages, like not heating up like traditional lamps, keeping your kitchen cooler in the summertime, and lasting longer than typical lightbulbs.
5. Install a Water Filtration Faucet – Wouldn’t it be great not to have to spend money on water bottles? Not only can it get expensive, but those plastic water bottles are polluting our earth. One easy step to add to your Valley Village home remodeling project is the installation of a filtering faucet. These are faucets that come with water filters that remove toxins and contaminants from water. This way, you can get pure drinking water right from your faucet. Many models also come with a water tank that can provide hot filtered water on the spot.
Hugs Construction has over 20 years of experience and is a full service construction company in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding Los Angeles area. We work on projects of all sizes, such as kitchen and bath remodeling, wiring and electric work, soundproofing, installing windows and doors, specialty projects and new constructions.
We pride ourselves on utilizing green products to sustain the environment. We strive to maintain high customer satisfaction with every job, making sure that our work lasts for many years to come.
To get a quote for your home renovation, contact us.