Sustainable Kitchens

Michael A. Colleary and Southern Wine Cellars, Inc.

Building a healthier, more efficient kitchen doesn't take a degree in environmental science. Just buying better appliances can get you most of the way there. "The residential building industry is a using a small fraction of the available methods for conserving energy," says Mike Rogers, principal of MSI Consulting of Waterville, Maine, and national coordinator of EPA's Energy Star Home Performance initiative. While some homebuilders include Energy Star-rated appliances in their homes, and advertise the fact, others aren't even doing this much.

Rogers says that using rated appliances will put many homes well on the way to saving 10 percent of energy use. He doubled the size of his own home, but slashed energy consumption 40 percent by using efficient home design and Energy Star-rated appliances, including his refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer, thermostats, lighting and LCD computer monitor.

Rated dishwashers use 25 percent less energy than units that only meet minimum federal standards. The savings can add up to more than $100 over their lifetime, according to recent EPA calculations, but that number will obviously be higher if energy prices continue to rise. They also use half the water of nonrated models.

Upgrading the refrigerator gives you the biggest bang for the buck, because it has a more voracious appetite for electricity than nearly any appliance. The rated refrigerators in stores today burn 40 percent less wattage than similarly sized models made in 2001, and about half as much as their pre-1993 ancestors. While many homeowners enjoy the convenience of automatic ice-makers or through-the-door water dispensers, these features increase energy use by 14 percent to 20 percent.

A good way to offset that increase is with energy-efficient lighting. People spend so much time in their kitchens that the right lights can make a big difference in energy consumption, according to Greg Thomas, president of Performance Systems Development in Ithaca, N.Y. Today's compact fluorescent bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 16 times longer than incandescent bulbs, but they have come a long way from their pretzel-shaped ancestors, with enough styles and sizes to fit almost every fixture. And the phosphors lining the insides of today's bulbs don't give off the harsh white light that earlier models did. "Compact fluorescents have gotten better in terms of light rendition, with more choices in color. Some of the best lighting is indirect fluorescent lighting with sconces and other up-lighting that reflects off the ceiling," says Thomas.

Not just energy While efficiency is a cornerstone of sustainability, it's not the whole thing. "Sustainability also includes health considerations, and the big thing in kitchens regarding health is ventilation," says Thomas. You won't get optimal ventilation with a recirculating range hood. Instead, use one that's vented to the outside. It will not only get rid of cooking odors and smoke, but also unwanted carbon monoxide (CO). Gas stoves create carbon monoxide when combustion is incomplete, as when a flame strikes a metal pot filled with cold water. Gas furnaces, water heaters and fireplaces can also give off CO.

Michael A. Colleary and Southern Wine Cellars, Inc.

Interestingly, some builders have been installing too much ventilation. The semi-commercial-grade kitchens going into many homes include semi-commercial vent fans that can exhaust as much at 1,200 cubic feet or air per minute (CFM). This, of course, can be a recipe for headaches in a tightly built home with naturally vented appliances. "The [vacuum created by] the vent fan can draw air from other areas of the house and reverse the venting of hot water heaters and other combustion appliances," Thomas says. That vacuum can suck unwanted carbon monoxide into the living space. That's why sustainable builders limit kitchen vents to about 100 CFM and install sealed combustion water heaters and furnaces with direct, individual exterior venting capabilities.