In this section
- Planning your kitchen
- Buying your kitchen
- Appliances and furniture
- Kitchen care
- Handy hints
- Accessible kitchens
- FAQs
Special features
KBSA Consumer Guide
Our FREE guide contains practical advice for consumers who are considering buying a new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or home office.
Eco kitchens
Most kitchen manufacturers have been focusing on eco-friendly products
for some time now, and their continuing efforts to produce
energy-efficient appliances, and units using environmentally-friendly
materials and production methods, mean that kitchens of the future will
be kinder to the planet and more efficient for the user.
However, there are still a number of simple steps householders can take to make their kitchens as green as possible:
- Install energy-efficient lighting and use low-energy light bulbs which can last ten times as long as conventional bulbs.
- When designing your kitchen layout, make the most of natural light by
positioning work surfaces and sinks underneath windows wherever
possible.
- In most kitchens, the fridge is the biggest single energy consuming appliance. Ensure it works as efficiently as possible by keeping it as full as possible (food helps retain the cold, so less cold air is lost when the door is opened) and by allowing foods to cool down before you place them in the fridge.
- A side-by-side fridge and freezer uses around 20% more energy than a fridge with a freezer on top.
- Don’t open the oven door whilst food is cooking: it will reduce the oven temperature by as much as 25 degrees and so add to the required cooking time and energy used. Turn on the oven light and check through the window.
- Several items can be cooked in the same oven at the same time as long as they have enough room for heat to circulate around them.
- The heat can be turned off in electric ovens several minutes before the end of the cooking programme as long as the door remains shut: there will be enough heat in the oven to continue cooking the meal.
- Try and ensure your dishwasher has a full load, and let dishes dry naturally when the washing cycle is complete. More energy is used in drying dishes than washing them, so if your dishwasher doesn’t have an automatic air-dry switch, turn the control off before the drying cycle starts and prop the door open to let moisture escape.
- Many manufacturers are installing recycling stations into their fitted kitchens, allowing you to sort compostable waste and separate glass, paper, plastic and so on for recycling.
- When choosing new cabinets or worktops, look for a manufacturer who
uses wood from sustainable sources or offers chipped composite
countertops made from recycled stone, which is as durable and
attractive as granite.
- A recent report which compared the water consumption for manual washing up with using a dishwasher, has concluded that dishwashers are best. Using a dishwasher can use around four times less water than by hand, however, always try to ensure you have a full load.
