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KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Refrigerators, A Cold Story

 

Beverage Compartments

Today’s modern refrigeration has more than just a multitude of features, from bells and alarms to alert you to power outages, to built in beer dispensers the possibilities are truly endless.  Should wine be your beverage of choice but your kitchen is tight for space then take a look at Liebherr 48” Side-by-Side fridge, freezer and wine chiller, with everything wrapped into one unit.

If refreshments take up too much of your current fridge space consider Electrolux’s under the counter refrigeration drawer as a secondary fridge space. Consider an independent wine cooler, one of the top add-ons to kitchen renovation projects according to the American Kitchen Design Association.

Each unit will have its own space, plumbing and electrical requirements that need to be factored in BEFORE you can buy or build your kitchen cabinets ... which is of course why we have been encouraging you to source kitchen appliances BEFORE the cupboards.

But lets look at a few other options.

Sizing Kitchen Appliances:

Fridges like everything else are getting bigger with 36" and 48" wide models becoming quite the norm. If your kitchen quarters cannot accommodate a full 36” or wider fridge, companies like Miele and Thermador do offer 18” to 30” Column fridges and you can consider in your layout putting a separate freezer in another room where space is more available.

24” & 30" upper mount fridge freezer options have been the historical norm. Note that for comparison purposes most units are sized according to how much space in cubic feet (cuft or ft3) is available for the fridge and freezer independently.

Height is of course the second dimension of serious concern to the kitchen cabinet maker. You'll need to know how much head room any particular unit needs, and whether it is necessary to leave additional space for ventilation

Refrigerator Layout:

Refrigerators come in a multitude of design options and layouts, shall we say, from Side-by-Side, with or without freezer at the bottom or LG’s 4 Door French Door that has 2 freezer drawers and a side-by-side fridge.   There is also a wide selection in the built-in department, with flush mounted doors for the perfectly seamless appearance or custom panels that allows you to add a wood door "facing" that matches the new cupboards.

Inside options such as Bio Fresh drawers, customizable temperature zones and door alarms or a 42” wide door to accommodate large trays of food are all possible. 

Now think outside your fridge; water and ice dispensers or will that be beer and there is an endless array of finishes to choose from.

Energy Consumption:

Remember that refrigerators consume the most energy of all home appliances, look for the Energy Star Certification rating before you buy. 

You might want to play with this online "EnergyStar" calculator, that lets you plug in your requirements for energy efficiency and general refrigerator layout and it will give you a list of appliances that meet or exceed these ratings: click HERE

Its obvious to think that the bigger the freezer the more energy it uses, but did you think that a freezer on the bottom uses approx. 10% more energy than when the freezer unit is on the top, and that ice cube makers can use 10% more energy than fridges without... quite interesting to play with the numbers.

and a few miscellaneous features to think about:

• reversible doors, so you can make it open from either the left OR right
• activated charcoal filters plumbed into circulation system
• re-arrangeable drawers and shelves
• childproofing

One can get lost in the decision making process, it’s important to focus on what you need today and perhaps consider tomorrow’s needs for your families lifestyle.

More Information

Thinking about how to build kitchen cabinets, well start HERE and go through the five essential planning steps before you pick up the hammer :)