Making green choices for appliances and cabinetry

Making green choices for appliances and cabinetry
By Jessica Tobacman, marketing and communications coordinator for NARI

 
 

NARI offers environmental education and certification programs to remodelers. With these courses, NARI has become part of the movement to make residences more environmentally friendly, and aims to provide green remodeling information to anyone perusing this Web site.

 

If homeowners choose environmentally friendly materials and devices, they can help make their residences healthier by reducing energy usage. However, if they instead choose products that off-gas or produce an excessive outflow of energy, they can increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and add unpleasant, potentially dangerous odors to the home. By making green choices, residents can help lead the planet in the right direction by reducing the effects of global warming.

 

 Although they are some of the more detailed elements of the home, cabinetry and appliances can make a large impact. As homeowners choose new appliances, they should focus on what works for them. Appliances are “a very personal choice for most people,” says Doug Selby, co-owner of Ann Arbor-based Meadowlark Builders.

 

“Choose appliances that fit your needs,” is the advice of Chris Donatelli CR, CKBR, of San Jose, Calif.-based Donatelli Castillo Builders, Inc., Don’t make a purchase because of the number of features or the size of a device.

 

Look for appliances with ratings from Energy Star, says Ron Cowgill, CR, CKBR, president of Glenview, Ill.-based D/R Services Unlimited, Inc., According to the program’s Web site: “ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.” Two types of appliances that are ineligible for Energy Star ratings are clothes dryers and microwaves, according to the Energy Star Web site.

 

The refrigerator, range, dishwasher and microwave, in that order, draw the most energy, according to Selby. This is also the order in which residents should prioritize purchasing energy-efficient versions of the appliances. The refrigerator utilizes the most electricity because it runs constantly.

 

An electric induction cook top is one high-priced, energy-efficient appliance that is likely to decrease in cost, Donatelli says. It is 85 percent to 90 percent efficient, which will lower an occupant’s energy bills, according to Induction Cooktops.

 

Consumers also should take into account the amount of electricity appliances use, which manufacturers note on labels. Selby recommends a homeowner ask: “What is the most efficient appliance? What will work for my needs?”

 

 

In addition to contemplating whether to redo the plumbing, HVAC or electrical systems, to use daylighting or renewable energy or to buy appliances, a homeowner also should consider which interior materials and finishes to use in a green remodel. Easy-to-clean, low-maintenance, durable materials with low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the material of choice of Dawn Zuber, founder of Studio Z Architecture, based in Michigan.

 

Green kitchen appliances may include materials that are made locally, from recycled materials, in a non-polluting way, with cabinet finishes that have the lowest VOCs possible. Preferable materials are reusable and made of substances other than vinyl, that are safe to manufacture.

 

Cowgill recommends making formaldehyde-free counters and cabinets from medium density fiberboard (MDF), plywood and particleboard.

 

The healthiest, most durable and most expensive choices for the kitchen are solid surface countertops and custom, solid-wood cabinets. Locally made concrete or scraps of granite combined into a large structure are better than whole pieces of granite and preclude the need for a seal, Cowgill says.

 

Susan Davis, CKBR, GCP, co-owner and design principal of Spectrum Fine Homes in Mountain View, Calif., suggests using wood products made from trees “farmed … for cabinetry,” such as more sustainable woods like maples, rather than exotic woods from locations such as rainforests.

 

“Natural materials are typically better than synthetics (such as plastic laminate, Corian, etc.) because they don’t off-gas,” Zuber says.

 

Finger-jointed wood, which contractors make by combining thin scraps of wood into larger structures, also works well, says Carl Seville, CR, founder of Georgia-based Seville Consulting. He selects finger-jointed wood instead of stain-grade trim to reduce the amount of wood from old-growth forests, and it also provides a smooth surface for painting.

 

Using doors within the house made from composition cores or wheatboard further decreases wood consumption, Seville writes on his Web site. For cabinets, some stores are substituting wheat-based materials for plywood. Green remodelers prefer wheatboard to particleboard and plywood because it is a renewable resource that is normally wasted, Cowgill says. Additionally, the glues used to paste together the cut-up pieces of wheat have low-VOC content that is also formaldehyde-free, he says. However, wheat may be difficult to find at times other than in the early summer and late fall, when farmers cut it each year in the field.

 

Some manufacturers also are including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified  in their products. “FSC certification guarantees that forests are managed in a way that assures the long-term availability of precious woods and does not clearcut large sections of old-growth forests,” according to Johnston and Master. However, homeowners may only find it  readily available in certain areas, and difficult to find in others. Cabinets with low-VOC finishes or plywood without formaldehyde are more widely procurable, Seville writes online.

 

Utilizing any product has trade-offs, however, and consumers must weigh the pros and cons of different possibilities. Marble, slate and natural stone are natural products, and, because of that, they do not off-gas, or release gases and vapors into the air. However, some residents choose not to employ them because they are quarried from the earth, a destructive process that includes blasting, cutting or digging a hole. Transporting marble or stone from as far away as Italy or Brazil and slate from India leads to the release of many fossil fuels into the atmosphere and has a negative effect upon the environment, Davis says. She cautions consumers to take into account the distance from which ceramic would travel, too, before determining whether to purchase it.

 

An alternate option, Davis suggests, is the use of recycled materials in ceramic and glass tiles and countertops. These products are “incredibly beautiful [and] coordinate well with glass tile,” she says.

 

In addition to cabinetry and countertops, there are other materials to consider for the flooring and walls. If tiling a floor, limit the use of grout, Zuber says, which you can do by employing larger, ceramic tiles. She also suggests sheet linoleum, which doesn’t have cracks that would warrant grouting, and comes from natural products, including linseed oil and jute.

 

Davis also advocates natural linoleum as a finish. “It has the look and feel of vinyl but is made from natural products,” she says.

 

One way to use linoleum is in a floating floor, which is easy to install, Davis says. It has a base similar to plywood, with a linoleum finish applied to the top. A cork floating floor is also available.

 

Carpet might absorb water, which could lead to mold growth, she says. Instead, cover sections of a tile floor with smaller, rubber-backed rugs with pads, which are machine-washable. Avoid cork and bamboo because of possible issues with moisture.

 

Purchasing products locally and making small, green adjustments to the home can add up to large savings for relatively cheap costs. These changes can include exchanging incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs or light-emitting diodes and attaching an aerator to the kitchen faucet. Altering the insulation and adding Energy Star appliances are two other means to save energy and cut expenses. Following some simple guidelines for interior materials and finishes is as much a healthy choice as an environmental one. It is often mutually beneficial to help ourselves and the earth.