ShopSmart Magazine: A recipe for a green kitchen.

This week, I'm away in L.A. on mommyblogging business (yeah, I don't know how that happened either) but, some really nice folks have sent along great tips and cool new websites to share with you (yes, YOU!) and today, it's all about the easy ways in which we can shop smart AND go green in the kitchen!

Did you know that there are no federal regulations on products that are marketed as "eco-friendly" and some products perhaps aren't as green as we think?

Yeah, me either.

The experts at ShopSmart Magazine (from the publishers of Consumer Reports) spent months sizing up fridges, running dishwashers, burning light bulbs and punishing faucets (pretty much like, you know, I do) to find the best green kitchen products.

Here are five tips for cooking up a fresh new look and perhaps save a little money, in the kitchen:

1.  Get a water-saver faucet.

Why:  A gleaming new faucet is an easy upgrade, but kitchen models can be water wasters compared with some bathroom faucets.  Low-flow bathroom faucets with the Environmental Protection Agency's new WaterSense label are about 30 percent more efficient.

Easy Green Fix:  Until the EPA comes up with criteria for low-flow kitchen faucets (they're in the works) for $3 to $11 you can make most new or existing taps more efficient simply by attaching an aerator.

One Possible Draw Back: With lower flow, it might take a bit longer to fill that pasta pot.

What To Buy:  Two Kohler models that aced ShopSmart's most recent tests and can be ordered with custom-fit aerators for about $10 are the Vinnata K-690-BX ($550) and the Forte K-10433-VS ($250).  Another green choice is a hands-free faucet, like the Danze Parma D421058 ($480).

Tip: When you find a faucet style you like, make sure it has a lifetime warranty that covers stains and water-wasting leaks.

Then, There's OUR House:  Is it just me, or does anyone else think that -- although, green is really, really pretty --  eco-friendly is starting to sound sort of, I don't know, expensive?

2.  Switch to watt-stingy lighting.

Why:  Modern kitchens can use up to 2,000 watts for lighting because standard incandescent, halogen, and xenon lights are energy hogs.  All that excess heat from lights might prod you to turn down the A/C to cool things off.

Easy Green Fix:  Switch to cool-burning compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in overhead fixtures, and also consider adding some LED or fluorescent under cabinet task lighting.  This easy fix costs about $200 for five fluorescent fixtures.

One Possible Draw Back:  Some -- but not all -- CFLs and LEDs cast a bluish or other funky-color light.  Before you buy, ask if you can return the fixture if you don't like the way the light looks with your decor.

What To Buy:  Strips are the most common type of task lighting, round "puck" lights are best for casting pools of light onto a counter and linear lights are available with LEDs.

Tip:  If your cabinets don't have a built-in valence to hide task lighting, either add one or choose a fixture with a sleek housing that's not as noticeable.

Then, There's OUR House:  Remember to pick up a pack of extra bulbs - especially, in case you live in an old (not to mention full) house with really bad wiring and bulbs have a way of mysteriously burning out  - because, they can be really hard to find when you need them most.  Also, did you know that you can't just throw those old  bulbs away and that Home Depot now offers a recycling program for CFLs?

3.  Put in a ceiling fan.

Why:  Kitchens get hot, and if you use an air conditioner to cool things off, it will gobble up a lot of energy and money.

Easy Green Fix:  A ceiling fan in the kitchen will use only a fraction of the electricity that an A/C would.

What to Buy:  ShopSmart tested models from Hampton Bay, Harbor Breeze and Hunter and most performed pretty well in air-movement tests.  So, rather than shop for a particular brand, go for a style you like and remember that lighting affects energy use.

Tip:  You might be able to find CFLs designed for ceiling fans that can replace the original bulbs and save energy.

Then, There's OUR House:  We recently put in a ceiling fan in our kitchen and, squeezing 6 people in a 7 room house, it can get really hot, even in the winter.  So, my husband, Garth (not his real name) replaced the bulbs with these.  Not the prettiest, but I can't look at them for too long, without having to sneeze, anyway.

4.  Renovate with recycled stuff.

Why:  A new countertop or cabinet style can change the whole look of your kitchen, but manufacturing them keeps power plants polluting the air and some green goods aren't as green as they might seem.

Easy Green Fix:  Before you buy new, see if you can find secondhand products.

What To Buy:  Salvage shops are stocked with new or gently used stone countertops, hardwood flooring, decorative lumber, and kitchen cabinets, so they're a great place to look for bargains.  Habitat for Humanity sells used and surplus building materials at outlets called ReStores.

Tip:  If you must have new, look for greener cabinets and other products made from sustainable lumber and materials.

Then, There's OUR House:  Our kitchen cabinets are 20 years old, so this is an area that I definitely need to do some more research in!

5.  Trade in the biggest energy hogs.

Why:  The appliances in your kitchen that take the most energy to operate are refrigerators and dishwashers.  The older these appliances are, the less energy efficient they are and more costly they are to run.

Easy Green Fix:  It usually doesn't pay to replace working appliances with new ones.  But when you do update, look for models that use less energy and are quieter.  Though energy efficient models can cost more, you'll recoup the money as your utility bills shrink.

What To Buy:  ShopSmart found that the Amana AFD 2535DE [W] ($1,550) saved up to $72 a year in annual operating costs compared to a 15-year-old fridge and the Bosch SHE33MO [2}UC ($540) saved up to $51 a year compared to a 7-year-old diswasher.

Tip:  You don't have to ditch the clunkers all at once.  Start with the latest efficient ones.  It pays to repalce them when repairs would cost more than half the price of a new appliance.

Then, There's OUR House:  We ditched our dishwasher (it blew up, literally) for a cool new Bosch and recently replaced our 15-year-old fridge (parents bought it when we moved in) with a GE Profile and...you guessed it...my parents bought that for us, too.

And so it goes, at This Full House, where every little bit helps and the hills are alive with the sound of exploding laundry!

[Source:  November 2008 Issue of ShopSmart Magazine, with permission]

© 2008 This Full House and This Full House Reviews - All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[Greg]

1.

With regards to installing a low flow aerator keep in mind there are various levels of water saving aerators. Typical low flow aerators start at 2.5 gallons per minute but go as low as .5 gallons per minute. They typically cost the same and can be found at any local hardware store.

[freezer]

2.

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