Design A Kitchen That Saves Electricity
When creating the plans for your custom home, you need to consider your lifestyle priorities as well as your preferred design aesthetics and budget. If your lifestyle priorities include green living, then you should consider how you can design each room of your house with energy efficiency in mind. Here are some ways to design your kitchen as an energy-saving room.
1. Tight Building Envelope
Some common energy losses in homes include the loss of heat and air-conditioning from the building. If you have any kitchen doors and windows in your home design, start by choosing well-insulated ones since windows and doors are often weak points in the building envelope.
Next, consider other common air leaks such as under the sink where plumbing pipes come through the floor. A generously-sized hole may be used to get the pipes through easily, so make sure the hole is sealed with insulation, such as expanding foam, afterward. Additionally, don't forget to plan for mitigating other kitchen air leaks such as the exhaust fan above the stove.
2. Energy Efficient Appliances
Another way to save energy in the kitchen is by building it with appliances that are super-efficient. This allows you to avoid wasted energy when performing vital kitchen functions such as washing the dishes or cooking. Likewise, don't forget the water heater; although it may not be in your kitchen, it's very important to consider since so much hot water is used in the kitchen.
3. Hot Water Efficiency
Although indirectly, water efficiency can also reduce energy use. That's because water heaters typically use quite a bit of energy (either electricity or gas) to heat water for your household on a daily basis. So, designing your home with appliances that go easy on the hot water can help you to reduce your energy expenditure.
4. Alternate Energy Source
One of the great things about designing your own home from scratch is that you can build your own alternative energy sources to power your kitchen. For example, you can design your hot water heater with a solar water heating component on your roof so you don't need electricity to heat your water.
Another way you can use your home design to provide energy-efficient hot water to your kitchen is by choosing geothermal energy to heat and cool your home. Geothermal HVAC systems typically provide hot water as a byproduct, allowing you to drastically reduce the amount of water your water heater needs to heat.
These design ideas and principles can help you ensure you design your kitchen to use minimal energy and avoid energy waste. Contact a company, such as Machen White Custom Homes, for more information.