It was nothing short of daunting trying to put "eco-friendly" and efficient items in the home. When starting this project, this wasn't even something we considered looking at, but since our home was so efficient we decided to at least see how much more efficient/sustainable we could make the home based on the products we chose and if there would be any extra costs or conveniences sacrificed.
You could see how this trend of "going green" really hit a peak in in the early 2000s in terms of companies testing the waters on profitability. Many websites listed links that are now defunct emphasizing different green products. Marketing "green" products obviously didn't have the profit that was hoped, as we found it difficult to assess how sustainable/efficient a product was. One thing is for certain though; if a product could save you money during its use, this was well advertised with objective comparisons.
Appliances
Cooktops:
Induction heat is relatively new and awesome for efficiency. It is up to 60% more efficient than gas or electric burners due to more direct transfer of heat with less loss. Induction tops heat just the pot size rather than a whole element making you use just the right amount of energy. They are decently expensive, running about $1000.00 for a quality top but are one technology that really was head and shoulders above the others for energy efficiency and energy use reduction so it was a no-brainer to go with one of these.
Oven:
Ovens have steadily improved in their insulation technology, even heat distribution and ways of cooking to decrease overall cook time. But of course, with classic American/Canadian thinking, they've also steadily increased in size. The salesman told me that wall ovens initially came out in 24" and 27" sizes. Now, the industry standard is 30" and available all the way up to 36". What's more is that people are buying double 30" ovens which takes up a huge amount of space. Logically, the bigger the oven, the longer it takes to heat and more the more energy is used. I cook a lot and wasn't willing to sacrifice my ability to once a year have 20 people over and cook a 45lb turkey with a separate oven for my potatoes. Demanding and unnecessary? Maybe. But I'm pretty average I think when it comes to expectations people have. That's why I picked a combo microwave/convection oven with lower full size 30" oven. Then something crazy happened. Through a miscommunication, the kitchen was built to accommodate a 27" oven and it was essentially not possible to change this. I literally reached my breaking point, found a corner at work to cry in, took the afternoon off as stress leave and called Braden to cry/yell about how I needed a 30" oven. Major first-world problem here. After some convincing, I took a look at the 27" oven. I called my mom up who brought her ultimate "test pan" which she used to pick her oven (note: most 30" ovens could not accommodate this massive pan when she went shopping). I tried out the "test pan" in this fancy 27" oven and to my absolute amazement, it fit!!! The oven's interior dimensions were actually bigger than my current 30" oven at home, heated way faster than a 30" oven and fits a huge turkey roaster. It is also a combo oven, so it has a smaller top oven which doubles as a microwave. This top oven had convection technology, but was tiny and the perfect size for for everyday cooking for two people. Its big enough to cook your potatoes in while the turkey is cooking in the big oven. It can also use the microwave and oven technology to cook things faster. I think the lesson learned here is that a quality oven can be extremely efficient and that a combo oven is a much more practical and efficient choice than two full-size double ovens. As an added advantage, by combining a microwave and an oven, you save lots of space. You can look at the combo oven we bought here: Kitchen-aid oven.
Fridge:
For fridges we bought the Consumer Reports magazine which lists all the new fridges in a graph showing usable interior dimensions, features and cost/year to operate (ie the Energuide rating system). We picked a Kitche-naid fridge offering water filtration, ice making, one of the largest usable freezers and costing approx $56/year which was under many fridges significantly smaller than it. Do you pay for this? Ohhh yeah you do. But as an average consumer expecting all these features, we paid more for efficiency.
Dishwasher:
Typically the more you spend, the quieter the dishwasher gets and the more efficiently it uses water. We picked based on the Energuide rating and the features using the Consumer Reports Guide for durability and ease of repairs as well. Make sure to scrape your dishes rather than rinse them so save water!
Laundry:
This was one appliance where an "eco" setting was an optional feature. It basically tweaked your desired settings to reduce water and energy use. Many of the units were capable of very effectively using cold water washing, used high efficiency detergent (that fancy "HE" logo) and had Energuide ratings to compare to. We picked an incredibly efficient washer/dryer which is also insanely quiet.
Overall, you'll spend more for efficiency, but if you have your product for at least 5 years, I would say you will ultimately recoup most of the extra cost.
Quick Recommendations:
1. Reducing energy use is going to be your best bet in terms of finding sustainable products as it was near impossible to figure out how sustainably things were manufactured and most places were not knowledgable on manufacturing standards.
2. Buy quality items you will keep for a long time. We found many appliances, countertops, cupboards were designed for a 3-5yr use cycle and not conducive to repair. This is simply wasteful. We focused on companies making quality products that were easy to repair and designed to last.
3. Design neutral. We designed a very traditional style house where the longer the product is meant to last, the more neutral it is. We hope this will mean we don't change the product simply because it is out of style or we got tired of the look.
4. Use the Energuide system for appliances. Most appliances have an Energuide label stating the cost to use the product over a year. This offers at least some objective comparison of an appliance's efficiency
5. Consumer Reports or similar magazines offered real-world testing and in particular, talked about how long the appliances lasted and how easy it was to repair, which is key for sustainability.
6. The Good Guide website offers reviews on many home products, including appliances, and gives a numerical score for sustainability based on Health Effects, Environmental Impact and Social Impact (ie whether the company gives back to the community). It was the best resource for choosing products for more than just their cost to operate. You can also learn about certifications for products beyond Energuide. It is an excellent website that I can't recommend enough!!!
7. Buying smaller may not save you money. The 27" oven we bought was only a $300 less than the 30" oven. This is frustrating and likely a reason people keep buying the biggest and best oven. Laundry on the other hand had bigger savings when it came to buying smaller, but wasn't necessarily more efficient so the cost to run the product was the same for less laundry being done.
Cool Sites:
1. Smeg: A European oven company which showcases the different, and much more sustainable, approach to kitchen appliances. They make smaller, high quality appliances built to last! We couldn't find this anywhere in Canada, but I hope to see companies move toward this approach.
2. Houzz: A design website that recently featured and article on sustainable appliances. A good read for sure.
Happy Appliance Hunting!
Ali and Braden
