Select the icons to get remodeling tips for each area of the room.

• A new ENERGY STAR fridge uses half the electricity of a fridge built prior to 1993.
• Size appliances to your needs – oversized refrigerators and dishwashers waste electricity
• Pre-rinsing dishes is not required on modern dishwashers – instead scrape dishes into a compost bin.  Then, experiment with using gentler wash cycles and use the lowest setting that gets everything clean.
• Check with your utility for appliance rebates.  In general, refrigerators with freezers on top use up to 25 percent less energy than comparable side-by-side refrigerator/freezer models. 
• Defrost freezers after a quarter-inch of frost develops or buy a self-defrosting unit.
• Do not place your fridge or freezer where they are on top of or near forced air heating vents, in direct, prolonged exposure sunlight or next to ovens or dishwashers.
• While cleaning refrigerator coils has been believed to reduce electricity usage, attempts to quantitatively assess this savings claim conclude there is no measurable savings.
• If your fridge is equipped with a power saver or humidity switch, set it to the energy saving mode. The humidity switch is for climates with high humidity levels rarely seen in our climate.
• Adjust the thermostat so that the refrigerator is between 36 and 38 F and the freezer is between 0 and 5 F. Place a thermometer in a glass of water and place it in your fridge or freezer.  Check the temperature the next day.
• Recycle your old appliances. Check with your utility to see if they offer a rebate program for recycling old appliances.
• The kitchen can be a primary contributor of unwelcomed or welcomed heat. During warm summer months ensure proper ventilation by opening windows and using fans. During cold months keep windows and doors closed to keep the heat in. In both cases, use the oven range to ensure air quality is not compromised during cooking.

Additional resources

• Puget Sound Energy, State and Federal Energy Efficiency Incentives: Residential Construction external link – appliance rebates and tax credits for homeowners
• King County Green Remodel Guide for KitchensDownload PDF 800 K– from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Provides in-depth eco-friendly tips for your kitchen remodeling project— on everything from countertops, to flooring, to faucets

Countertops

• EcoTop external link
  A local green home surface material retailer
• Paperstone® Products external link
  A local green countertop manufacturer
• Richlite® external link
  A local green countertop manufacturer
• Squak Mountain Stone external link
  A local green countertop manufacturer
• Trinity Glass Products external link
  A local company specializing in recycled glass countertops

Recycling/compost

• "Kitchen Compostable Bags – where to buy" from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Provides information on how and where to buy food composting bags
• Compost More. Waste Less – from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Offers strategies and resources for how to easily recycle food waste
• "Recycle More. It's Easy to do." – from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Offers home recycling tips and resources
• “Food: Too Good To Waste” – from the King County Solid Waste Division and EPA
  Tips and ideas for reducing food waste in your home.

Appliances

• ENERGY STAR Appliances external link
  Offers information on energy–efficient home appliances
• New Resources Group (NRG) external link
  Products to help conserve water such as showerheads and aerators
• AM Conservation Group external link
  Products to help conserve water and energy
• Positive Energy Conservation Products external link
  Products to help conserve water and energy
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Options – from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Provides information on how to best dispose of household hazardous waste

Other

• Green Pages – from Northwest EcoBuilding Guild (external)
  Find green building professionals and businesses in your area
• New Resources Group (NRG) external link
  Products to help conserve water such as showerheads and aerators
• AM Conservation Group external link
  Products to help conserve water and energy
• Positive Energy Conservation Products external link
  Products to help conserve water and energy
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Options – from the King County Solid Waste Division
  Provides information on how to best dispose of household hazardous waste
• Ravenworks Joinery external link
  Produces finely crafted and detailed environmentally-friendly furniture and cabinetry

Recycling and Composting Center

• Know which materials are curbside recyclable and compostable in your city or area and design your recycling/composting centers with this in mind.
• Check your waste hauler’s website for information on what is collected.
• Make recycling convenient by creating a recycle center in your kitchen, and by placing recycling bins in other areas of the home where recyclable materials are generated such as the home office.
• Keep a food scrap collection container in your kitchen, line with compostable bags, and empty regularly into yard waste cart, or keep a compost container in the freezer (to reduce odors and risk of pests).

Refrigerator

• A new ENERGY STAR fridge uses half the electricity of a fridge built prior to 1993.
• Check with your utility for appliance rebates. In general, refrigerators with freezers on top use up to 25 percent less energy than comparable side-by-side refrigerator/freezer models
• Defrost freezers after a quarter-inch of frost develops or buy a self-defrosting unit.
• Do not place your fridge or freezer where they are on top of or near forced air heating vents, in direct, prolonged exposure sunlight or next to ovens or dishwashers.
• While cleaning refrigerator coils has been believed to reduce electricity usage, attempts to quantitatively assess this savings claim conclude there is no measurable savings.
• If your fridge is equipped with a power saver or humidity switch, set it to the energy saving mode. The humidity switch is for climates with high humidity levels rarely seen in our climate.
• Adjust the thermostat so that the refrigerator is between 36 and 38 F and the freezer is between 0 and 5 F. Place a thermometer in a glass of water and place it in your fridge or freezer. Check the temperature the next day.
• Consider keeping your compost in the freezer temporarily to reduce odors and risk of pests.

Kitchen Lighting

• Replace all incandescent light bulbs with LEDs.
• Install ENERGY STAR-labeled light fixtures.
• Follow the advice for “right lights, right place” to direct task lighting as close as possible to the places you work most in your kitchen.
• Choose a variety of fixture types and controls to optimize your light quality and also reduce the “all or nothing” of some kitchen lighting schemes.
• Include occupancy sensors on lighting - these trigger lights to go off if no one is in the room.
• View more Eco-Cool Remodel lighting resources

Kitchen Flooring

• Always use hard surface, water-resistant flooring such as protected wood, tile, or natural linoleum in areas prone to wetness, especially kitchens.
• Choose flooring products that can easily be maintained.
• Choose flooring options that allow for partial replacement instead of whole-room replacement.
• Seek alternatives to vinyl.
• Look for flooring that is FloorScore® certified and/or certified sustainably harvested, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certfied
• *****Look for flooring that does not include the following:
  • Vinyl
  • Phthalates
  • Added urea formaldehyde
• View more Eco-Cool Remodel flooring resources and Kitchen Flooring tips

Countertops

• Evaluate whether you can simply repair or refinish your old countertop, instead of replacing.
• Look for salvaged countertops or repurposed butcher blocks.
• For new countertops, prioritize durable, easy to clean materials with natural or high recycled content that do not contain toxic or petroleum-based substances.
• New kitchen countertops can be a sizable investment. Choosing the best countertop material for your kitchen involves weighing several options based on your priorities.
• When shopping for a new or replacement countertop, remember that your choice can impact the kind of sink you install.
• Consider a backsplash to make the wall behind the counter easy to clean and protect it from moisture damage.  If using the same material as the countertop, find out if it can be fabricated from one piece to eliminate seams between the countertop and wall.  If a seam or joint is unavoidable, look for water-based caulk formulas low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and invest in premium quality caulk.  If you choose a silicone caulk, look for additive-free, aquarium grade products.

Range/Oven

• Look for gas ranges and ovens with electric ignition. Those with standing pilot lights waste natural gas and pollute the air when not in use.
• If you do have a gas range, be sure to use a range fan whenever you are cooking. Check that this fan is vented to the outside; many fans just re-circulate the exhaust fumes and blow it in your face. If you find you do not use the fan because it is too loud, purchase a new, quieter fan that ventilates between 100 and 200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) and provides a sone rating of 1.5 or less.
• If it is not possible to install a range fan vented to the outside above your gas stove, consider moving it where you can install a fan, or switch to an electric stove.
• When installing a new, more powerful kitchen fan, make sure it does not back draft any other combustion appliances in your house such as a wood stove, water heater or furnace.  A home performance contractor can help with this. The Home Ventilation Institute has guidelines for choosing kitchen range exhaust.
• When cooking with electric or gas stoves, keep the drip trays clean.
• Use your appliances according to the product manual to optimize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Recycle your old appliances. Check with your utility to see if they offer a rebate program for recycling old appliances.

Dishwasher

• New dishwashers use significantly less water than hand washing – about one fifth as much.
• Since the 1990s, most dishwashers come equipped with a water temperature booster. If your dishwasher does not have this feature, you may find your water heater temperature is set between 130 and 140 F to compensate. While this higher water temperature may be necessary to clean your dishes, it presents a scalding hazard. In these cases, upgrading to a new dishwasher offers the added benefit of being able to turn down your hot water temperature to 120 F—for both safety and energy savings.
• Use the right setting for the job. The energy use and water use of each cycle/setting varies greatly, so choose carefully to save money and resources.
• Use your appliances according to the product manual to optimize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Pre-rinsing dishes is not required on modern dishwashers – instead scrape dishes into a compost bin. Then, experiment with using gentler wash cycles and use the lowest setting that gets everything clean.
• Recycle your old appliances. Check with your utility to see if they offer a rebate program for recycling old appliances.
• Install a moisture alarm under your dishwasher.

Cabinetry

• Consider refacing or refurbishing existing cabinets before purchasing new ones.
• Rethink your layout. Consider adding shelves within the cabinets or converting cabinets to drawers. Shelves with wire rack bottoms can be placed above the sink to save energy as drying dishes may be placed there.
• Shop for salvaged cabinetry at many of the local building salvage and supply stores.
• Give preference to solid wood or plywood cabinet boxes rather than particleboard or conventional medium density fiberboard (MDF) that typically contains urea formaldehyde.
• Consider cabinetry materials with a third-party certification for sustainable wood harvesting and stewardship such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
• ****Use CARB II and/or no-added urea formaldehyde (NAUF) composite wood products for cabinetry
• Replacing cabinet doors is an easy way to transform old cabinets at a fraction of the financial and environmental cost of complete replacement, and can be done with both new and second hand doors.
• Look for formaldehyde-free MDF or other composite wood made with exterior grade resins for added durability. Urea formaldehyde is a compound that can emit harmful fumes for years after installation.
• Consider agricultural fiber panels such as wheatboard or strawboard that are free from formaldehyde binders, or FSC-certified exterior grade plywood made with phenol formaldehyde-based glue, rather than the harmful urea formaldehyde-based glue.
• If building your own wood cabinets, use reclaimed wood or FSC-certified lumber cabinetry. If this is not available, consider reclaimed wood

Kitchen Faucet

• Check your faucet flow rate before considering a new one.
• Refurbish your old faucet with a faucet repair kit to 1.5 gallons per minute. Consider adding an extension hose only for pot filling.
• For new faucets, look for the WaterSense label to ensure efficiency and performance.
• Choose faucets that come with a lifetime warranty.
• Consider a biodegradable carbon filter at sink
• Use reusable BPA-free water bottles to eliminate the need to buy plastic water bottles.
• ****If carbonated beverages are preferred, purchase a carbonation machine to decrese the amount of recylcing needed for cans and bottles.
• If refurbishing your old faucet, be sure to include a new aerator. 
• Before installing aerators or a new faucet check how much water flows through your current faucet. To do this, you can purchase an inexpensive tool (called a flow gauge measuring bag), or make one at home using a gallon jug. Kitchen faucets should have flow rates between 1.5-2.0 gallons per minute. Lower rates lead to poor performance or frustrated users.
• Choose faucets with ceramic disc valves that are longer lasting and less prone to drips.
• Consider a feature that reduces water to a trickle while scrubbing dishes without having to turn the water off and on again.
• View more Eco-Cool Remodel plumbing resources

Kitchen Sink

• Find antique sinks at building salvage yards to save money and create “instant history” and match the period of your kitchen.
• Consider cast iron and stainless steel sinks: both are available used and are highly durable and recyclable.
• Consider your countertop materials, which can impact the kind of sink you install.
• Seal any gaps around plumbing penetrations if your sink is above an unheated space or on an exterior wall.
• Do not install a garbage disposal to save water. Where food and yard waste pick up is present, this kitchen fixture is not needed.
• Your countertop choice may limit the type of sink you can install. Countertops made from a single material throughout, such as concrete, stone or solid surface, allow for undermounted sinks.  Undermounted sinks make cleanup easier by eliminating the lip present in most surface mount styles.
• Countertops with a surface of one material and a different base, such as laminate or linoleum, require surface mounting sink styles.
• Check under the sink. Look where the plumbing penetrates through the floor and wall. If the sink is above an unheated space or on an exterior wall, seal any gaps around the plumbing penetrations.
• View more Eco-Cool Remodel plumbing resources

Wall Paint

• Select low toxicity paints for good air quality.
• Typical low VOC levels are:
  • Less than 150 g/L for flat paints
  • < 50 g/L for non-flat paints
• Consider using lighter paint color if the kitchen has ample daylight so less electric lighting is needed.
• Use appropriate paint type for the location (i.e. semigloss paints for areas exposed to moisture).
• Select a color and hue that reflects the activity of the room. Color can impact physical and mental health and wellbeing. Read articles about the impact of color on moods and decision making.