Moving home is the perfect time to finally retire your old appliances and consider new, improved ones which not only suit your new home in style and size but make your life easier and save you energy and money. To help you consider what will work best for you, your family and your new home, we’ve compiled a run-down of what’s on the market now and what to look out for.
Space
Both the space you have available in your kitchen or utility room and the interior space your family needs should be considered. When it comes to fridge-freezers, dishwashers, ovens, washing machines and dryers, the bigger the family, the bigger the appliance needs to be. However, the frequency with which you cook or entertain also needs to be considered – if you eat out more than you eat in, you probably don’t need a double oven with dozens of different functions, no matter how big your household. On the flip side, even if there’s only two of you living in your house you may want a top-of-the-range oven with a large capacity if you regularly have friends round for dinner and enjoy creating amazing meals. Of course, you must always measure the space you have before you make any decisions.
Energy Saving
Ensuring all your appliances are energy-saving is not only kinder to the environment but means that they will ultimately be more efficient and, as an added bonus, will save you money. Always check that the appliance you purchase has been awarded ENERGY STAR status, the global mark which is only given to products with the highest level of energy efficiency. Different countries also have their own energy ratings, scoring a product for energy efficiency, often on a star scale.
Built-in
Choosing built-in appliances makes for a seamless, incredibly stylish and functional kitchen. As well as looking great, built-in appliances give you greater flexibility with the layout of your kitchen. For example, if you don’t want to put your oven under your cooktop you could fit it against the wall at eye-level to avoid having to squat and bend every time you put something in, take something out, or clean.
Functionality
Home appliance technology has developed exponentially over the past few years and you may be surprised at what ovens, cooktops, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers can now do. Think about how you use your appliances. Is your washing machine next to your living areas? Choose a low-noise one. Love the speed and control of gas cooktops but hate cooking with a naked flame? Choose an induction cooktop. Hate cleaning your oven? Pick one with a self-clean function. There is a huge variety of choice out there so have fun researching!
Moving house is the best time to choose and install new home appliances for a brand new kitchen and for minimum hassle. Take the time to carefully consider what you and your family need and want, do your research and you’ll have a kitchen that you’ll love for years to come.
When moving house, consider Fisher & Paykel appliances for your new home to take advantage of new technologies, a built-in look, multiple functions, and a kitchen that works for you.