Whether you’re designing a new kitchen from scratch or updating your existing one, we can help you make it eco-friendly. It’s important to consider the environmental impact of the materials you use and the products you buy.If you know what to look for, there are now plenty of environmentally-friendly decorating products, building materials and appliances available to help you to reduce your home’s energy usage and carbon emissions.

Here are our top five tips for designing an eco-friendly kitchen:

Choose quartz worktops

Quartz kitchen worktops are widely recognised as being an environmentally-friendly choice. It is a common natural material, and the process of mining quartz has less of a negative impact on the environment than mining alternatives. Quartz is also an extremely durable and long-lasting material that needs little maintenance.At Granite and Quartz Installations, we supply and install beautiful, high-quality quartz worktops in a wide range of attractive designs to complement your kitchen.

Install energy-efficient lighting and appliances

If you need to upgrade your existing kitchen appliances, be sure to invest in energy-efficient models. All those sold in stores should now come with an energy-efficiency rating. The higher that figure, then the lower your carbon footprint and energy bills will be.Thinking carefully about your kitchen lighting can help to reduce energy consumption. Installing dimmer switches and multiple light sources within your kitchen allows you to dim or switch off lights when they’re not required. Replacing traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs) will also help to reduce energy consumption.

Use low or zero VOC paints

If you plan on giving your kitchen a new lease of life with a lick of paint, be sure to choose paints with low or zero VOC content. VOCs are organic chemical compounds which can have a negative effect on both the environment and our health.Instead choose paints that are labelled as natural, water-based products with low or zero VOCs. As well as producing fewer toxic emissions and contaminants, they are also quick-drying and low-odour.

Reuse and upcycle where possible

Rather than stripping out your entire kitchen and replacing everything, think about what you can reuse or upcycle. Often, the shell of the kitchen cabinets is still in good condition and instead of replacing everything you could simply reface your cabinets to update their appearance.Doing so requires far fewer materials, meaning less energy is used, fewer carbon emissions are produced, and it’s cheaper for you.If you do need new items, try shopping at a reclamation yard before resorting to new shop-bought products.

Choose durable, long-lasting products

The more frequently that parts of your kitchen must be replaced, the less sustainable and environmentally-friendly the design is. Where possible choose high-quality, durable, and long-lasting products over cheap and cheerful ones with shorter lifespans.