Eco Kitchens & Bathrooms
Looking for a new eco friendly Kitchen?
At Kington Building Supplies we are proud to offer a selection of 100% recycled Kitchen doors in both product ranges from Chippendale and Mackintosh. The doors are made from waste wood which is collected from all over Europe, it is then upcycled through an eco-friendly process, creating a specialist wooden panel that is 100% recycled.
Kitchen Manufactures Makes Big Energy Savings
Omega (Mackintosh/Chippendale) Invests in energy saving technology to save 600,000kWH of energy per year. For more information click on the link: https://www.omegaplc.co.uk/news-press/omega-invests-in-energy-saving-technology
Well they do, actually, but as well as that they are designed, crafted and manufactured with skill, judgement and consideration.
We are very aware, as a business, of our impact on the environment and are making it our mission to reduce that impact as much as possible.
As well as being Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, we now incinerate any waste taht cannot be recycled, which in turn creates energy, thus eliminating the need for landfill.
Omega (Mackintosh/Chippendale) Sustainability Journey
For more details on our main Kitchen supplier Omega (Mackintosh/Chippendale) on there sustainability journey please click on the link: https://www.omegaplc.co.uk/news-press/our-sustainability-journey
Kitchen Appliances
How Do Energy Labels Work?
Appliances are tested for how much energy they use to perform a typical task. From this an energy rating is given on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient. Some appliances use an older scale, from A+++ to G, with A+++ being the most efficient.
In general appliances are categorised by their size. This means that two different sized appliances with the same energy rating might use different amounts of electricity. For example a G rated 265 litre fridge/freezer could cost around £100 a year to run (60kgCO2e), whereas a larger 424 litre fridge/freezer with a better F rating could cost around £105 (65kgCO2e) a year to run.
The best thing to do is check the appliances energy label, and look for the product with the best energy rating for the size you require.
A great example would be choosing an A-rated fridge freezer over an F-rated option that will then save you about £800 (670kgCO2e) in energy bills over the 17-year lifetime of the product.
For more information about energy labels please click on the link below.
www.energylabel.org.uk
Appliance Energy Saving Tips
Dishwashers
A dishwasher uses about 15 litres when washing up 15 place settings, whereas washing by hand uses on average 3 to 4 times the amount of water alone. So why not ditch those marigolds and get filling up your dishwasher saving £46.00 per year. If you’re getting residue on your dishes on your dishes after a wash a clogged filter could be the problem. The filters job is to stop leftover food getting into the pump. Take the filter out and wash it with warm water. Cleaning the filter could prolong the life of your dishwasher saving you £100s getting it fixed or buying a replacement.
Ovens
When it comes to ovens it is all about the way you use them. Using them the right way can save a lot of energy and money. Why not try batch cooking, warming up meals uses less energy and cooking large quantities saves time and energy.
Make sure you take out any accessories that are not needed such as trays and grids, this can save up to 20% of the energy.
Use your oven Ovens technology to your advantage. Thermometers, timers, automatic cooking programmes or sensor-controlled process all help to control cooking time and avoid energy being wasted.
Get into the habit of checking the food through the glass door of your oven rather than opening it which can save you up to 25% in lost energy.
Microwaves
It costs only pence to cook a baked potato in the microwave compared to using an oven which will cost over £1.00
Slow Cookers
These inexpensive appliances are also pretty cheap to run. You can make healthy meals on any budget with an average cooking time of around 8 hours. Flavours are not lost as nothing can really evaporate as long as the lid is on and it uses on average about 40 pence of electric per meal.
Kettles
Whipping up pasta for your children a couple of times a week? Why not use your kettle to boil that water first, it will cost you over £11.00 per year using your hob but only £2.00 a year using your kettle. Remember also to descale your kettle regularly, especially if you live in a hardwater area, a kettle full of limescale will take longer and use more energy to boil the same amount of water.
Hobs
Hobs use much less energy than ovens so why not try cooking more meals on them. Further savings can be made by cutting food into smaller pieces before cooking which will mean food will cook quicker. Another simply saving can be made by cooking with the lid on it can save you a further 25% of energy.
Fridges and Freezers
Minimise door opening, the temperature inside a fridge rises significantly each time the door is opened so make sure you shut the door even when you get your milk out to make a coffee.
Another very simply saving is to make sure the coils on the back of the fridge are not covered in dust. The coils are part of the condenser that cools the air inside the fridge, according to Which? dusty coils can reduce efficiency by as much as 25%.
Get your rubber gloves out and regularly defrost your freezer a thick layer of ice not only takes up valuable space it also makes your freezer more inefficient.
Listen to your Kitchen designer, where your free-standing fridge or freezer is can also affect how efficient it is, make sure there is enough ventilation around the back, top and sides so it can release heat from the compressor and where possible keep the appliance away from ovens, radiators and direct sunlight.
Water Saving
We are all been encouraged to save more water, saving water is not just good for the environment, it can also save on energy and save you money. Here are a few simple inexpensive solutions.
Flow Restricting Aerator
CASCADE SLC Aerator
A convenient and inexpensive way to save water and energy. The cascade SLC aerator offers water restriction and anti- limescale features, with a rubber face to prevent scale amalgamation on your tap and is simple to clean with just a gentle rub. With a Super soft flow and a perfect stream quality even under difficult flow conditions and integrated anti- clogging dome screen which filters sediments and particles, this small ingenious product really upgrades your tap. 22mm insert.
1/2" Washer Regulator
PCW-01
The PCW-01 washer regulator is a washer with dual function: flow regulating and sealing.
A convenient and inexpensive way to save water and energy. Typical applications are 1⁄2″ shower hose fittings, shower heads G1⁄2″ and 1⁄2″ tap tail connectors.
It’s easy to assemble and therefore perfect for retrofit.
The flow restriciting aerator and 1/2″ washer regulator are avilable to order from our Sink and Tap supplier Sterling.
Looking for New Taps & Showers with Built in Water Saving Features?
If you are looking to update your exisiting Bathroom or fit out a new Bathroom and would like to save even more water check out the latest range of water saving taps and showers available from our tap and shower range from Vado.
www.vado.com/product-usp/water-saving
Save Water When You Flush
Eastbrook one of our main Bathroom suppliers offers the Jollytronic battery operated no touch flushing system which is compatible with many of their push button flush toilets. The new, hygienic, no touch flushing system with water saving Eco-Stop flushing technology, allows the user to control how much water is needed to clear the toilet. The system flushes for as long as the sensor is covered which allows the user to flush the toilet for just the right length of time. The battery operated system will do approximatley 15,000 flushing cycles before the battery needs replacing. It also has a manual over-ride in the unlikely event of bettery failure.
Turn It Off
A running tap can use more than ten litres of water a minute, so turn off the tap while brushing
your teeth, shaving, or washing your face and use cold water if you don’t need hot.
Don't be a Drip
A dripping tap can waste thousands of litre of water a year, so make sure your taps are properly turned
off and change washers and valves promptly. Rember to keep those receipts for any new taps or showers
so you have the product details when you need any spare parts.
Take Shorter Showers
Why not treat yourself to a shower timer, The average Brit takes around nine minutes in the shower. If you can reduce
this by a couple of minutes not only will you save water you will also save energy saving you even more money.
We are proud suppliers of:
Free Design Service
A kitchen is a very personal thing so to ensure you have the kitchen that matches your expectations and needs we offer a free design quotation service.
Our experienced Kitchen design team will be able to offer you advice and help in picking the perfect kitchen for you.
For more details please call in-store or ring our Kitchen Manager, Adam Handley, on 01544 230081
Alternatively you could ring our Rhayader branch and ask to speak to Bon, on 01597 810828.