Friday, August 23, 2013

Selecting The Best Kitchen Appliances

Gas Stove


Kitchen appliances get a lot of use in a typical home and homeowners have a lot of options for selecting the best ones they can afford. Kitchen appliances include refrigerators, freezers, stoves, microwaves, ovens and ranges. Besides the appearance of the kitchen appliance, consumers often consider its energy efficiency since all these appliances use electricity or gas to operate. Energy-efficient appliances are better insulated and use technology that cuts down on the amount of energy required to operate them.


Instructions


1. Look at your budget and your requirements for the kitchen appliances. Some people want all the features they can get for their dishwashers, cooking appliances, and refrigerators. The more features the appliance offers, the more it is likely to cost. Dishwashers with adjustable racks or stainless steel interiors will cost more and if these are features you will probably never use, it does not make sense to buy them.


2. Read articles from major consumer organizations and check their ratings for the kitchen appliances you are considering. Price does not always translate to form and function, and these agencies use objective techniques to test and rate kitchen appliances. Some of these agencies are Consumer Reports, JD Power, or This Old House.


If you want to avoid paying the nominal fees to access the articles from these organizations, go to the nearest library where they will have hard copies of these magazines. Local bookstores will also have consumer magazines in stock, although it's likely they will only have the most recent issues.


3. Look at the energy rating labels on the appliances. By law, all appliances for sale must have energy ratings on them. The higher the rating, the less energy it uses. If saving energy is critical for you, choose kitchen appliances that have the EPA's energy star label on them.


4. Choose appliances with more bells and whistles that may increase the value of your home. Upgraded kitchen appliances may give you the competitive edge you need to sell your home more quickly. According to the National Association of Realtors, kitchen remodeling projects are among the best ways to add value to a home, since the kitchen is a central point of life in many people's homes.


5. Ask a knowledgeable sales person about the features of the kitchen appliances. It is their job to educate the buying public and they will be able to guide you through the selection process based on your budget and your individual needs for the appliances.



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