Hi-tech kitchens for a healthier, greener future


Zip Water UK’s Russell Owens discusses why hi-tech kitchen appliances are such an important ingredient in today’s self-builds


appliances are becoming increasingly important in addressing self-builders’ concerns for both the environment and their own health. A trend seen among millennials in particular,


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there’s a clear rise in those striving to live a healthier lifestyle as well as those becoming more environmentally aware. With the older portion of the generation now starting to build homes, this trend is beginning to influence today’s self-builders, designers and architects, who have all grown up with high-tech gadgets from a young age.


Increased concern for the environment


Once a rare topic of conversation, environmen- tal awareness has boomed over the last couple of decades. This increased concern for the environment, coupled with an unstable economy, is driving changes in self-builders’ purchasing behaviours, despite their still being constrained on the budget. Those embarking on a self-build project,


while keen to be as resourceful as possible, are now realising it’s equally important to invest in the energy efficiency of their building – even if this means higher up-front costs. With fuel bills likely to be a building’s highest household running cost, alongside the obvious loft and wall insulation, it’s worth noting that big energy savings can also be made with home appliance choices; some of which can account for up to 45 per cent of your annual household electricity bill. Investing in the right energy efficient


appliances will not only save you energy, but also time, money and effort in the long run. Some eco-friendly dishwashers, for example, are quick and handy to get the dishes done and actually use less water than washing up in the sink. On the same note, some instant hot water


taps – aside from eliminating the need to use inefficient kettles to boil water – boast impressive energy saving features. For example, taps can be installed with features such as auto-sleep modes and cooling technology, which means owners can enjoy every drop of water knowing


38 selfbuilder & homemaker www.sbhonline.co.uk


none is wasted. Technology such as Power-Pulse also allows for the storage of water to within 0.2°C of a set temperature, so no energy or time is wasted waiting for it to heat up. Taps that produce chilled filtered water, as


well as boiling, are also great for cutting down the sales of environmentally unfriendly bottled water. Not only can bottled water be up to 1,000 times more expensive than tap water, it takes three times the amount of water to produce one bottle of water than it does to fill it and plastic water bottles take on average 450 years to break down naturally.


New kitchen, healthier lifestyle


As well as environmental concerns, health and wellness are much higher on our agendas than they have ever been; a trend that has fuelled interest in high-tech kitchen appliances, from spiralizers and juicers to bigger, built-in appliances such as steam ovens. In fact, according to the 2017 Houzz UK


Kitchen Trends Survey, for many a new kitchen actually leads to a healthier lifestyle. The survey of over 3,100 UK homeowners found that investment in modern technology like instant hot


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odern technology has always played a huge part in improving convenience in the home, but nowadays high-tech


Today’s self-


builders, designers and architects have all grown up with high-tech gadgets from a young age


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water taps, warming drawers and other high-tech features actually encouraged healthier eating habits. Significant habit changes include making more home-cooked meals per week and reducing the amount of takeaway and delivery meals ordered. While boiling water taps were seen to


improve eating habits, as they make cooking at home quicker and easier, technology in this market has upped its game of late. Today there is the option of having instant filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling water – as well as unfiltered hot and cold – all from one tap. Whether you’re striving to live a healthier


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