7 Tips to Make Your NJ Real Estate Kitchen Energy Efficient

Your guide to making the kitchen of your NJ Real Estate home a better place to be

With kitchens being the most energy-intensive room in your NJ Real Estate home, it is no wonder why utility bills keep increasing over time. The most important environmental issues with the conventional kitchen are excessive energy consumption, and inadequate lighting and ventilation. Appliances that are too large for their spaces and energy inefficient waste water, electricity, and money. With new ideas and technology, we can now design spaces that are cheaper to maintain as well as being overall healthier places to live.

Below you will find ways to make your home more energy efficient:

  1. Relocate working spaces near windows and skylights

    Daylight is the best type of light available, and it is also free. By moving your work surfaces such as cutting boards near windows and skylights, you can easily avoid turning on the lights in your kitchen and ultimately save money on your monthly electric bills.

    2. Change your lighting to high-efficiency light bulbs

    With the advanced technology of today, compact fluorescent lighting has come a long way to being about 4 to 5 times more efficient as compared to the incandescent lighting of the past. In order to achieve the highest quality look for your NJ Real Estate home, opt for lights with a color rendering index of 84 or greater and a color temperature of 3500 Kelvin or greater, and go with a quick-start, electronic ballast.

    Purchase EnergyStar lighting and appliances for maximum efficiency

    The typical home emits more greenhouse gas emissions than the average car, and greenhouse emissions can be reduced by as much as 30% with Energy Star products. Regarding light bulbs and other fixtures, Energy Star products save 66% more energy than standard lighting. By simply purchasing Energy Star light fixtures and light bulbs, you can save significantly on your electricity costs at the end of the month while simultaneously helping the environment.

    Install working windows and skylights

    Every NJ Real Estate home has some level of indoor air toxins. The best and most energy-efficient way to reduce this is by installing operable windows and skylights as needed in your home. Also, opening windows and allowing air to circulate can cut down on utility costs as you will not need to run the heating or air conditioner in your home during certain times of the year.

    Consider a new refrigerator if yours was purchased more than 10 years ago

    Your refrigerator is responsible for 20% of your NJ Real Estate home’s energy consumption. Also, a freezer in your garage can add up to an additional 15% on your monthly utility bills. If you have had your current refrigerator for 10 years or more, you should consider upgrading to a new, more energy efficient model to cut down on costs. Otherwise, with regular maintenance such as cleaning coils, checking seals, and adjusting the temperature, your refrigerator will run much more efficiently and keep your food and drinks colder for less.

    Switch to more compact appliances

    Appliances that are too big waste energy and valuable space in the kitchen of your NJ Real Estate home. Newer models of all appliances today are built smaller and more energy efficient than their counterparts, saving money and space especially if you live in an urban apartment setting.

    Replace plumbing fixtures older than 15 years old

    Older plumbing fixtures consume unnecessary amounts of water, and many low-flow products function similarly. Newer, energy efficient options include aerator faucets and foot-pedal or knee-controlled faucets allowing for easily controlled water usage.

 

The Real Estate market is changing rapidly and expanding into new avenues almost daily. Sometimes it can be very difficult to find the answers you need on a specific topic or issue. In times like these, you need a Real Estate professional who will provide valuable information and trustworthy advice. For more information on NJ Real Estate, call us today or click here to be connected with one of our top Real Estate specialists.