Money-Saving Appliances Pay for Themselves

Appliances Dec 14

New appliances are at the top of every homeowner’s kitchen upgrade wish list, but the price can sometimes appear to be an obstacle. Homeowners may be tempted to cut corners on appliance upgrades to save a few dollars while missing out on the most desired features available. However, a kitchen remodeling professional in Livonia can recommend appliances for any kitchen upgrades that save energy, time, and money. Here’s a look at some of the most cost-effective and efficient appliance upgrades available on the market today.

Double Convection Ovens

Double convection ovens are go-to appliances for the family that cooks often or entertains frequently. With two ovens in one built-in unit, pies don't have to share the spotlight or the temperature with the roasted chicken.A smaller top oven saves time and money by allowing single dishes to cook in a smaller space, which heats up faster than a larger thermal oven. The smaller space also requires less energy to maintain a constant temperature. A convection feature on a bottom oven allows for faster and more even cooking of larger dishes such as roasts, or baked goods such as cakes and pies. A fan evenly circulates air throughout the convection space, providing a consistent oven temperature for uniform browning, even baking, and faster roasting than a traditional thermal oven. Whether gas or electric, double convection ovens save time, energy, and money.

Ventilation Hoods

Cooks who want to breathe easier should select a quality ventilation hood, or range hood, as an integral part of their kitchen remodel. Ventilation hoods are installed over stove cooktops and vent cooking odors and gasses outdoors and away from the kitchen area. A kitchen remodeling professional in Livonia can recommend the right ventilation hood and hood mount for each kitchen configuration.Ventilation hoods filter out airborne grease and other particles before they have a chance to settle on countertops and other surfaces, an especially important feature in kitchens with open floor plans that connect to great rooms or other living areas. By removing potentially harmful contaminants from indoor air, ventilation hoods allow for easier breathing while simultaneously making it easier to maintain cleanliness in the kitchen and other areas of the home.

Energy-Saving Microwaves

Newer microwaves mimic larger stoves’ crisping and warming abilities without using the energy necessary to thermally heat up a larger space. Microwaves with a crisping element combine a broiler-like feature with microwave cooking power to deliver better microwaved meals, using extended cycles to crisp everything from soggy pizza to frozen fries. Crisping elements can work in conjunction with a microwave’s sensor cooking functions to determine just the right amount of browning or can work equally well on timed settings. Some newer microwave models also have food warming cycles, which can allow food that remains in the oven to be kept warm for a certain period of time after cooking has ended. A kitchen remodeling professional in Clarkston can determine whether an over-range microwave or freestanding microwave would work best for the remodeled space.

Refrigerators with Produce Preservers

For the household focused on healthy food choices, refrigerators with a produce-preserving feature can help save both money and trips to the farmers market or grocery store. Installed inside a refrigerator’s produce drawer, produce preservers absorb ethylene gas emitted by many fruits and vegetables during the natural ripening process. When produce is sealed in refrigerator drawers, the trapped ethylene gas can cause over-ripening. By removing ethylene, a produce preserver can extend the freshness of fruits and vegetables by up to 25%. Some produce preservers use a pouch-filtering system that must be changed every six months, but many families find that the extended life of their produce is well worth the minimal cost of the filtering system.

Under counter Beverage Centers

For those who love to entertain or for those who simply enjoy cold drinks chilled to the perfect temperature, an under counter beverage center is a luxury that pays for itself. Under counter beverage centers are small refrigerators specifically built to keep cold drinks at their ideal temperature. Because they are smaller than standard refrigerators, beverage centers use less energy to keep drinks cool, even when the outer door is opened multiple times per day. Some beverage centers feature an alert that sounds if the temperature inside the beverage center is rising or if cold air is escaping through an open door. Another innovative feature of some beverage centers is dual-zone temperature control, which allows for the customization of two different chilling zones to accommodate different beverage temperatures. For example, dual-zone settings allow wine to be kept in one zone at 42–55°F, while other beverages are stored in a separate zone at 33–42°F. Energy is saved when one zone is kept at a higher temperature, and all beverages are chilled to perfection. 

Dishwasher Upgrades

 Noisy dishwashers adjacent to household living areas can make enjoying after-meal entertainment a challenge. A quiet dishwasher can make all the difference when it comes to enjoying kitchen space and living areas, and replacing an older dishwasher model with an advanced, whisper-quiet dishwasher creates peace and tranquility like no other appliance upgrade. Newer dishwashers have a decibel rating that indicates how much noise the dishwasher makes while it’s running; a dishwasher with a decibel rating in the 40s can help the kitchen area remain quiet and distraction-free. Power wash cycles on some newer dishwashers quickly and effortlessly handle the heaviest soil, cleaning and scrubbing even stubborn baked-on messes in less time than it would take to hand-wash the same items. Power wash cycles eliminate the need to rinse dishes by hand before loading them into the dishwasher, saving money, and contributing to water conservation efforts by cutting water usage nearly in half. Advanced drying systems available on some newer dishwashers are money-saving features that pay for themselves. A dishwasher with an advanced drying system typically discourages mold by preventing improperly dried and stored plastic items and saves time by eliminating the need for hand-drying. Some of the most advanced dishwashers on the market today use a recessed heating element and a fan to draw moisture out of the wash tub for the best drying results. 

Recommendations from Kitchen Remodeling Experts in Clarkston 

Many of the newest kitchen appliances available today pay for themselves by saving energy, time, and money. A kitchen remodeling professional in Clarkston can help recommend the best money-saving appliances for any remodeled space.