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Green Building

Carl Seville on Green Building - Recipe For Success

2/1/08

Recipe for Success
Green Kitchens & Baths Begin with Basics
By Carl Seville  •  Photography courtesy of Lithonia Lighting and Warren Bond Photography

Kitchen and bath renovations, which are among the most popular home improvement projects, provide an excellent opportunity to make a house “greener.” The basic ingredients of green building are your recipe to cooking up green kitchens and baths – whether you’re starting from scratch with a new home or improving your current blend: energy efficiency, healthy indoor air, resource efficiency, and sustainable materials.

Energy Efficiency: To maximize efficiency, select ENERGY STAR rated appliances and bathroom vent fans. They are certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use less energy and/or water than standard models. If you’re replacing your refrigerator, don’t keep your old, inefficient one to store extra food. It will negate the value of buying an energy-wise model. To make kitchens and baths bright and cheery, use efficient light fixtures. Compact fluorescent bulbs use about a quarter of the power of standard incandescent bulbs and are available in dimmable models in colors that mimic daylight. These bulbs are vastly improved over the old models that flickered and hummed. Even more efficient LED lighting is now available for under cabinet lights as well as decorative locations.

Healthy Indoor Air: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) are toxic chemicals found in many building products. They can irritate, and in some cases sicken, homeowners. Most products such as paint, floor finishes and cabinets are available with low or zero VOC content. Ask your contractor to use these healthier alternatives. Venting moisture generated by cooking to the exterior is important to keep your living area healthy and free from mold and mildew. Install a range hood that is ducted to the outside, being careful not to oversize the fan. Too strong a fan can cause fireplaces, water heaters and furnaces to back draft, bringing poisonous carbon monoxide into your house. Likewise, a correctly sized and ducted vent fan is essential to reduce mold and mildew in baths. To maximize efficiency, switch it with a timer so it will run long enough, then turn off automatically, or a humidistat control, which will automatically maintain your desired humidity level.

Sustainable Materials: Consider cork, bamboo, or ceramic tile with recycled content for your kitchen flooring, while recycled ceramic tile works well in baths. Reclaimed flooring or new wood that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) assures you that the material has come from carefully managed forests. Consider using cabinets made with FSC certified wood. There are a variety of green countertop options now available, such as glass, concrete and stone-look surfaces made with recycled content and low-toxic adhesives. Reusing existing cabinets, floors or other serviceable materials is the most efficient and cost effective way to renovate.

Resource Efficiency: Kitchens offer great opportunities to conserve resources. When renovating, many materials are reusable or recyclable. In your new kitchen, install a built-in recycling center in your cabinets, which makes it convenient to recycle bottles, cans, papers and plastic. Consider installing a built-in composting center to further reduce your trash and provide a source of fertile soil for your garden. Remember that ENERGY STAR dishwashers use less water than standard models, and look for the new Water Sense label to identify the most efficient. In baths, water conservation is key. Limit the number of showerheads (to one if possible) and opt for low-flow models. Dual flush toilets now combine function and efficiency, while on-demand pumps deliver hot water to the tap instantly as it is needed, conserving both water and the energy used to heat it.

Carl Seville is a green builder, consultant, educator and writer on sustainability. He founded, and for 25 years served as Vice President of, SawHorse, Inc., an Atlanta design/build firm. Through Seville Consulting, his firm helps homeowners and builders create healthy, efficient and durable buildings by incorporating sustainable practices. Visit www.sevilleconsulting.com for more information.

Resources
www.southface.org
www.energystar.gov
www.epa.gov/watersense