Appliances

Choosing energy efficient appliances is a sensible decision. Not only will these appliances save money on your energy bills each month, but you can also do your part for the environment. Unfortunately, many consumers find themselves feeling confused about energy efficient appliances, so here we’ll explore what you need to know. The Energy Star Basics The first thing you need to know is to look for the Energy Star mark and what this means. The Energy Star program is offered by the Environmental Protection Agency, and it is designed to help you make smarter decisions when powering your home. The Energy Star logo is easy to recognize, but you also need to know what all the information on those labels actually means. An Energy Guide label is designed to provide a roundup of all the features and costs associated with the appliance. This label will let you know how much energy this appliance will use and an estimate of what this will add up to on your energy bills. Only products with the highest efficiency standards are awarded the Energy Star logo, so this is a great place to start shopping. An Efficiency Guide There are a number of factors to consider when you choose a new appliance. You not only need to look at the space available for your new appliance, but also your usage needs and the features you’d like. There is no sure way to determine that this model is better than another, as a tiny refrigerator

Your home should always be a peaceful and comfortable place, but that’s especially true during the holiday season. You’ll need all the help you can get to ensure your home operates smoothly throughout the holidays, and there are a number of small appliances that can help you achieve this goal. From kitchen appliances to laundry tools, there is no shortage of small units that can supplement the capabilities of bigger appliances and save you time during the holiday season. Moreover, these appliances make great gifts for any homeowner, offering useful features you can take advantage of all year long. With that in mind, we we’ve compiled info on some must-have small appliance gifts for the holidays. 1. Food Processor Cooking holiday meals can be a time-consuming task, especially if you need to prepare a ton of ingredients before the actually cooking process can begin. If you want to save time in the kitchen, consider investing in a food processor. Food processors are specifically designed to complete tedious kitchen tasks that you don’t want to do. These countertop units feature interchangeable blades and attachments that allow them to chop, dice, shred, slice and knead, helping you focus on more important elements of your holiday meals. These units come in a variety of sizes, and if you choose to invest in a food processor, be sure to consider the types of food you plan to prepare and the appliance’s capacity before making a purchase. 2. Slow Cooker If you enjoy having hearty

The holiday season is the perfect time to gather friends, family and loved ones for some delicious home-cooked food, and Wolf appliances are sure to provide the power and quality you need in a busy kitchen. Wolf is recognized as an innovator in the premium appliance space, bringing commercial-quality products to the comfort of your own home. While the company is best known for its full-sized cooking appliances, Wolf also produces a host of impressive countertop appliances that pack exceptional features in small packages. Wolf’s products provide the very best in professional-grade home appliances, and this holds true in its selection of countertop appliances, which are specially designed to bring restaurant-quality dishes to your home. To help prepare your kitchen for the holidays, we’re providing an overview on some of Wolf’s best countertop appliances. Countertop Oven Your oven is one of the most heavily used appliances in the kitchen, but there’s only so much space in a single unit. If you’re planning a massive holiday feast, you may want to invest in additional oven space, and a Wolf countertop oven is sure to meet your needs. This premium appliance offers the precision and quality found in a Wolf wall oven in a compact design, boasting six cooking modes and advanced convection functions that help you achieve delicious results with each and every use. This appliance is ideally suited for caramelizing vegetables, roasting pork, broiling fish, baking small pastries and re-heating previously prepared dishes. Thanks to superior components and exceptional design,

Maintaining Your Major AppliancesHere are some tips to maintaining, cleaning, and inspecting your washing machine and clothes dryer. You can save time and money by following this advice, and avoid breakdowns, or hazardous situations.Washing Machine It's a good idea to periodically check and replace the fill hoses on your washing machine. If you have rubber hoses, you should consider replacing them with braided stainless steel hoses. It is recommended that you replace your washer hoses every 3-5 years. While you are back there, take a look at the electrical connection. The plug needs to be firmly in place, the cord connection to the washer should have a restraint, and should not evidence any corrosion or burn marks. Also, you should periodically clean the inside of your outer washer tub. Whirlpool makes a cleaner called Affresh for this purpose. There are also a variety of home remedies including using combinations of bleach, vinegar, and/or baking soda. You can discover these cleaning remedies online, or just look on the aisles of your grocery store for washer cleaning products. If you have a front loading washer, pay special attention to cleaning the front gasket, especially at the bottom where it's possible for moisture to settle and mold to grow.Automatic DryerMake a habit of cleaning the lint filter in your dryer once a week. It's also very important to regularly clean the dryer vent. If you're lucky you'll have a short direct vent pipe to the outside that you can clean with a vacuum

Quiet Dishwashers at Universal Appliance and Kitchen CenterHow much will a good quiet dishwasher cost?Well, you knew this was coming. It depends! There are a lot of variables, depending on what is important to you. The average retail price for a dishwasher in the U.S. is around $500. However, to get the dishwashers with the best cleaning features, longest warranties, and the quietest ratings, you'll need to pay a premium. For example, the very quietest dishwashers available are 40 db or even less, and you can expect to pay near $1,000 and even more for a dishwasher in this category.All dishwashers are not created equal. It is true that better dishwashers cost more money, but there are also diminishing returns for most of us. At some point, the difference of the next $100 spent on added dependability, quietness, and cleaner dishes is not discernible. So, what we've done here is to leave off the entry level products that are advertised by the big box stores. Here are a few great dishwasher brands that have received terrific ratings from several sources and authorities. They'll not only get your dishes clean, they're built to last, and they're the quietest dishwashers in the industry.BOSCHBosch has made a lot of noise over the years, by touting how little noise their dishwasher makes. It's probably fair to say that they invented quiet as an important feature in dishwashers. They're part of BSH, and one of the largest appliance manufacturers in the world. Though they manufacture

New Eldon tub from Victoria + AlbertDecorative Plumbing at Universal Appliance and Kitchen CenterDid you know that Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center is not only one of the leading appliance suppliers in Southern California, but they are also a key supplier of decorative plumbing fixtures?What does "decorative plumbing fixtures" mean? Quite simply, we can provide you with faucets, sinks, bathtubs, vanities, and a host of plumbing related products to outfit your kitchen or bath. Not so much plumbing supplies such as pipes, valves, parts, and miscellaneous items that plumbers use in their installations.UAKC carries name brands and specialty brands including: Delta, Hans Grohe, Brizo, Kohler, Franke, Villery & Boch, Dornbracht, Elkay, KWC Faucets, Toto...and many more.Here's an interesting new bath product that was just featured in Kitchen & Bath Design Magazine:ELDON from Victoria + AlbertEldon is the creation of leading British Architecture and Interior Design Studio, Conran + Partners, who have applied their expertise learned through designing some of the world’s top hotels and residences.The contemporary back-to-wall bathtub is endowed with the curvaceous lines of a freestanding bath. A full width tap deck hides all waste pipework and a moulded upstand allows tiles to be easily installed.At 69″ long, it’s the perfect bathtub for bathrooms large and small where clean lines and day to day practicality are equally important. Available in seven exterior colour finishes.For all your appliance needs call or visit the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center today.To order or learn more about plumbing products please call

Shop UAKC for Memorial Day SavingsWe've had the best deals for a long timeHere it is again: Memorial Day Weekend. This is when we answer the question: Can you save money on appliances during the Memorial Day holiday? The answer is YES. Read below the whys and hows of buying appliances during this time of year. Here are a few tips from blogs from previous years during the Memorial Day Sale periods.Where to buy appliances over the holiday (May 26, 2012)Need a nail? A lightbulb? A tomato plant?We’d recommend that you visit a home improvement place – you know, those guys with the orange aprons.But, if you need a washer/dryer, a refrigerator, a new range…really??? Go to an appliance store. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center has been selling appliances since 1990. They really know this business. AND they have a much better selection of major brands along with terrific prices.Memorial Day Sale on Appliances (May 24, 2016)Can You Save Money on Appliances During Memorial Day?Friends often ask me if they can really save money by buying appliances during sale events. The answer is yes, sometimes. First, assess your situation.Do you need new appliances?Will you be remodeling in the next year or so?Do you have appliances that are nearing the end of their normal lifecycle?Do you have a strong desire for a new appliance that you'd like to treat yourself to?Have you had a run of service calls on one or more appliances?Are your old appliances energy hogs? Could you justify

Why Buy Appliances on Memorial DayBest Overall Memorial Deals at UAKCI've been around the appliance industry for nearly 40 years. During that time I've had a variety of jobs in sales and marketing with distributors and manufacturers. Along the way, I've taught marketing classes to both undergraduate and MBA students.One area that marketers study is consumer demand. We know, for example, that each year there is a finite number of appliances sold. Annual appliance sales are determined by factors such as new home sales, household creations, appliance replacement cycles (lifespans), new appliance innovations eg. microwave ovens, and household incomes.However, holiday appliance sales, do not fit this rational model. Buying an appliance because you have a 3 day weekend is not rational. Or so, I thought. Study after study, shows that appliance sales dramatically spike during holidays. In fact, one of the biggest appliance sales weekends of the year is coming up. Memorial Day. It's not because people get married, have kids, or get raises on holiday weekends that appliance sales spike. It's certainly not because appliances tend to break down on holidays. It's because manufacturers and big retailers promote heavily with big discounts centered around holidays. Consumers like to save money. Voilà! Lot's of appliances get sold during the Memorial Day holiday period.Here are examples of two great deals available at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center during the 2017 Memorial Day Sale. click on photos below for details You may have heard the story of the youngster who asked the old

Selective Use of Appliance ColorsBrighten Your Home with Colorful AppliancesWe've written often about appliance colors and finish. Trends such as stainless steel appliances, and now black stainless steel appliances are regular topics throughout the industry. Most of what we see is buyers considering matching kitchen suites, e.g. range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and vent hood.However, there are some bold and daring ideas out there about using a colorful appliance to brighten a kitchen. Here's an example from Bertazzoni, an up and coming appliance brand from Italy:Can you picture having a bright spot like this in your kitchen? Is it too daring? Certainly, bright colors are not new when it comes to kitchen appliances. Here's a retro appliance package below in a newly remodeled kitchen.I do remember when appliance colors found their way to the laundry room. Colorful, big, front-load washing machines helped make front-loaders popular. Buyers got so caught up in their bright red washing machine, they didn't seem to care about the brand or the features. "What the heck? All washers are going to get my clothes clean. THIS ONE IS RED."But, we digress. BlueStar has led the way with their many custom colors, and finishes:BlueStar appliances are available in a painter’s palette of colors and finishes. Select from 750+ colors plus textured finishes to turn up the heat on discerning kitchen design. Or, send us a sample of your favorite color and we will create a custom color for a look that is uniquely your own. Unleash your inner designer

Save with a One Brand PackageUAKC is the Best Choice for Appliance SolutionsHere's an idea for saving money on your next appliance purchase. When you're purchasing more than two appliances at once, you should seriously consider the package savings that you can now get from several of the top brands.Let's use Thermador for an example. For several years Thermador has been offering a 1-2-Free appliance promotion. For example, buy a qualifying Thermador cooktop and oven and get a dishwasher FREE, or buy a qualifying Thermador range and get a dishwasher free, but you get the idea. It's not tricky either. Not like those promotions that are designed to hook you, so there's no way to really get the free product. There are numerous variations available.Thermador is not the only brand that offers this type of deal. Fisher and Paykel as well as their sister company DCS have similar offers with a double drawer dishwasher as the free appliance. GE's offer is buy 3 qualifying appliances and get a free dishwasher valued up to $1000. Buy qualifying products from Jenn-Air and you can earn over $3,000 in credits to complete your kitchen purchase, plus up to $1000 towards your appliance package installation.Well, there is one tiny, tiny catch to all these FREE appliances, credits, and installation appliances. They only work when you buy a single brand of appliances. So, if for example, you want a Sub Zero refrigerator, a Viking Range, and a Miele dishwasher, you may just find yourself out