Many simple things can be done to prevent expensive utility bills. Some take more time and money, and some are very simple. I will go over energy-saving kitchen remodel ideas that can save you money long term.

Switch light bulbs to energy-efficient light bulbs:

It is very worth switching normal kitchen light bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs. Lights are on in the kitchen more than any other light in the house on average. Making this small adjustment can save some dollars every month and hundreds of years later. Usually, energy-efficient light bulbs are a simple switch and use anywhere between 30 to 75 percent less energy than regular kitchen light bulbs. They are a very great investment and also last ten times longer than regular kitchen light bulbs. There are many types of energy-efficient light bulbs such as halogen incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs.

Install low flow faucets:

A simple switch you can make is switching your regular faucets to low-flow faucets. It is exactly what you think it is. Low-flow faucets are very cheap to buy and are really easy to install. You can buy one on Amazon for just a little over $200 and is worth the money. You don’t need anyone to install them and anyone can do it! Using this faucet, you will see a 60 percent decrease in your water bill.

Replace appliances with energy-efficient appliances:

Replacing all your appliances with energy-saving appliances can be very expensive. If you cannot afford to replace them all then replacing the main ones will still be worth it. If you don’t want to replace any, I recommend unplugging the appliances when not in use (except the fridge of course!)

Get energy-efficient flooring:

The idea with this one is to get energy-efficient floors that provide heat to warm your home evenly and also to warm your feet. Radiating heated floors have been used for quite a while but there are new energy efficient floors that need to be used. Another alternative is to insulate your floors instead. It’s best to get help from a kitchen remodeling professional, and it might be worth it.

Use natural light from windows (place windows in the kitchen):

For this one, you are going to want to install windows in your kitchen if you don’t have any. To save energy, keeping the lights off as much as possible can save hundreds a year so using natural light can be used to your advantage. Also, there are a lot of windows that lose a lot of heat within the home, which may raise the hydro bill. If you have extra money, buying windows 3 ply windows or better can lower heat loss, thus keeping the hydro bill lower. Insulating your kitchen walls also does this if possible.

It can be a hard decision on what to upgrade, what to take out and what is worth the money when upgrading your kitchen. Hopefully helped out with some ideas on what might be the best investments, but at the end of the day, a kitchen is a kitchen.