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04 July 2011 03:24
House and home
Environmentally friendly home improvements
How to create an environmentally friendly kitchen, bathroom or bedroom is currently the most popular question from homeowners involved in a home improvement project.
That is according to the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA). The KBSA regularly meets homeowners at the most popular consumer exhibitions such as National Homebuilding and Renovating and Grand Designs Live. This year the hottest topic has been how to make a new kitchen, bathroom or bedroom environmentally friendly.
The kitchen and the bathroom offer the greatest opportunities to introduce eco - friendly materials and products because of the number of appliances and the water usage.
A modern kitchen is the hub of home; it's where people gather for meals, where the family congregates and where dinner parties take place. Because kitchens are used so much, it is important to make this room as eco-friendly as possible with energy-saving appliances, water-saving faucets, energy efficient windows and eco-friendly lighting.
KBSA expert Alan Stanford says: "There are many alternatives for every aspect of kitchens to make them eco-friendly. For example, flooring - bamboo, cork and eucalyptus are all good alternatives to hardwood as they mature in about half the time, or we could use recycled and reclaimed wood for our kitchen floor. Cork resists mould and mildew in addition to being comfortable - a great advantage for kitchen flooring."
When designing a kitchen it is important to think about the layout to make it as energy efficient as possible. Make the most of natural light by positioning work surfaces and sinks underneath windows wherever possible.
Alan adds: "Many manufacturers are installing recycling stations into their fitted kitchens, allowing you to sort compostable waste and separate glass, paper, and plastic and so on for recycling.
"When choosing new cabinets or worktops, look for a manufacturer that uses wood from sustainable sources or offers chipped composite countertops made from recycled stone, which is as durable and attractive as granite."
When redesigning bathrooms you can replace old products with modern ones that are more water efficient. According to Waterwise, the typical family uses about 70% of its water in the bathroom – making saving water a top priority in any eco bathroom.
Look for the blue label of the Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme that allows you to compare hundreds of product that meet the standards of the industry for water efficiency.
Alan adds, "For bedroom furniture look for a manufacturer that uses wood from sustainable sources and look for natural woods free from glues. Avoid particleboard and plywood at all cost. Woods that are naturally treated or finished will also be kinder to the environment."
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