Building Science 101: Kitchen appliances evolve
Induction cooktops are more energy efficient, better for air quality, and clean-up is as simple as wiping off your counter. PHOTO: CA SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF BRIGHTBUILT HOME
By Parlin Meyer
FOR YEARS, gas ranges, restaurant-grade vent hoods and full-scale refrigerators have ruled the roost. HGTV and glossy mags have fueled this frenzy, featuring high-level and ambitiously scaled home kitchens that have long been the envy for many a burgeoning home chef.
However, new research has challenged the safety and practicality of using these devices in the home. A study published by The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that the gas-burning stovetop, churning away one click-start at a time and winning our most primordial affinities, is slowly producing toxins that can harm us, while relying on harmful fossil fuels. If a kitchen makeover is in your future, don’t only seek out appliances for their looks—choose those that are energy efficient and contribute to healthy indoor air quality, too.
Most common cookware—including cast iron, alloy steel and enameled pots and pans are compatible with induction cooktops.
Energy-efficient Induction cooktops
With stoves, long regarded as the hottest feature of any well-appointed kitchen (pun intended), there’s an answer to these new objectives: the induction stove—a glass-topped counterpart to the recently revered firebox. Many die-hard gas range devotees have quickly become converts, due to the induction stove’s temperature responsiveness, ease to clean and healthier performance.
Induction cooktops and ranges check all the boxes for the new demands of the market. They are better for air quality. They are more energy efficient, requiring 10% less energy than standard electric ranges and three times less energy than gas ranges. They heat up faster and more efficiently, because they function via an electromagnetic field. And clean-up is as simple as wiping off your counter. If you’ve heard that you have to swap out all of your old cookware, well, fear not! Most common cookware— such as cast iron, alloy steel and enameled pots and pans like Le Creuset—is compatible with induction cooktops. Exceptions that are indeed incompatible with induction include copperbottomed and aluminum pots and pans. Try sticking a magnet to the bottom of your pot; if it sticks, it’s induction compatible. Whether you prioritize energy efficiency, the heating speed, the ease of use, or all three, induction is the clear frontrunner.
healthy range vent hoods
Now on to the range vent hood. As air-balance is carefully managed in high-performance homes, paying attention to venting is very important. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends venting an air volume of no greater than 400 cubic feet per minute (cfm). Most high-performance scholars recommend lowering that number to 300 cfm or less. Hood vents sized larger than this will trigger the need for a make-up air system because, with the carefully balanced management of air flow in and out of the house—via systems including energy recovery ventilators (ERVs)—going above the 400 cfm threshold will likely induce negative pressure. In other words, if the push of air out of the house increases above this limit, the house will call on any and all possible avenues to bring air back into the house, such as down woodstove flues or small openings around the envelope. Not ideal. Keeping that range hood sized for venting manageable air volumes is key.
Most of the major manufacturers have vent options available that stay below the 300–400 cfm threshold. Watch for units that have different speeds that can be “set” to lower CFMs but which may still pull larger volumes operationally. Look for units with no operational or venting speeds that exceed 300 cfm at the maximum setting and units that offer variable speeds such that the lower settings used the majority of the time will move even less air volume than the upper limit.
Further, with the use of induction stoves, your kitchen may be able to forgo a dedicated range hood altogether if your home has an ERV with a booster switch option in the kitchen (check with your local and state code requirements, and work with a local installer to see if this is a possibility for you). This approach reduces the number of penetrations through the envelope and dovetails nicely with the whole-house ventilation system already in place. It is an ideal approach in households that do not do a lot of oil-based frying. Please note that, with or without an accompanying range hood, the ERV exhaust vent should be a minimum of 8 feet from the cooktop location and, if standalone, will warrant more frequent filter checks and cleaning.
A range vent hood operating at 300 cfm or less and an induction cooktop improve air quality in the kitchen. PHOTO: CA SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY
minimalist refrigerators
Across the kitchen, our other mainstay, the refrigerator, is starting to look a bit fresh and different, too. Certainly, there are the SMEGs and the Mieles, with their stylized frames and their non-contemporary profiles. But we’re also seeing a move away from the novelties of decades past: the water and ice dispensers (for both energy and practical reasons such as cleaning and maintenance), French doors, and special features like multi-access doors (for better operational and energy efficiency reasons). It’s also becoming more popular to size down rather than up. The downsize is supported by multiple perspectives. First, a smaller fridge makes sense for households that make more frequent and smaller shopping trips from food co-ops, farmers’ markets and local delis. Also, if you want to be less wasteful, consider that deep, packed refrigerators lend themselves to long-lost leftovers and antiquated condiments. And, finally, in the interest in space efficiency, smaller homes require innovation in use of space.
All in all, our kitchens are looking a bit different these days. Sleek glass cooktops, gently purring range hoods, and tall and lean refrigerators are swapping in for the hot-box, windbag and squat beasts of their forebears. And our pocketbooks, health and planet are all the better for it.
This article appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
Find Maine experts that specialize in healthy, efficient homes in the Green Homes Business Directory.