Energy Savings

Looking for "Smart" Appliances?Be "Smart". Choose your smart appliances at UAKCAppliances that are wi-fi connected or otherwise "smart", are popping up in several appliance categories and brands. We've been seeing connected appliances at the major trade shows for many years. These features have for the most part been futuristic, but now they are more than just a curiosity. Many brands are jumping into "smart" appliances with apps, bluetooth and/or wifi capability, interactive touch screens, and more. Here are just a few brands that are already in the game. GE, Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, Dacor, Jenn-Air, and more.Smart appliance features have been integrated into appliance lineups as standard features, and prospective appliance buyers are requesting them. Here are three "smart" capabilities from Jenn-Air that are catching on in appliances. 1. Energy Saving Smart Features with NestNest intelligence takes the powerful Jenn-Air connected appliances to a whole new level of innovation and convenience.Get alerts when oven is left onModify thermostat if oven warms homeFridge compatibility coming soon2. App enabled wi-fi appliancesThe Jenn-Air® app puts complete control of your Connected Wall Oven at your fingertips.Access Jenn-Air® Culinary CenterSynchronize with NestAdjust cooking temperatures and times3. Appliances that communicate with Alexa, etc.@JennAir and @Amazon Alexa have collaborated to bring even more innovation to your kitchen! Voice control capability is now available for all Jenn-Air® Connected Wall Ovens through Jenn-Air’s Skill for Amazon Alexa. When Jenn-Air and Amazon Alexa work together, you bring the power of voice commands to your kitchen.Use Alexa to:Set cooking modes and temperaturesAdjust

Is it time for a new dishwasher?Houzz has published its 2017 Kitchen Trends Survey. For homeowners planning kitchen renovations, dishwashers are the most likely to be first on the list for replacement. It really isn't a big surprise considering all the changes in dishwashers over the years. Here are the top trends in dishwashers in our view.Sani-CycleHomeowners are increasingly concerned with sanitation, particularly in the kitchen. Some new dishwashers have sani-cycles that are certified by the NSF which requires that the water is heated to 155 degrees fahrenheit and kept there for a certain amount of time. This feature can be particularly important when someone in the home is sick, or if there is a baby to care for.Energy and Water SavingsWhile dishwasher manufacturers are all keen on having the EnergyStar label, some dishwashers are more energy efficient than others. They work with smaller highly efficient motors that run quieter (and longer) to get dishes clean while running at whisper quiet sound levels.In addition, though dishwashers may have long run times, they actually use far less water. That's one reason why they are more energy efficient because a big part of a dishwashers energy usage is the cost of heating the water.QuietToday's open kitchens make it critical that dishwashers run quietly, and appliance manufacturers tout their "whisper-quiet" dishwashers. In my opinion, to be considered quiet, a dishwasher would have to operate at a decibel rating in the 40's. The really quiet dishwashers are often in the low 40's with a

Memorial Day Sale on AppliancesCan 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 all or part of the new appliance costs on energy savings?If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then you should definitely consider a visit or a call to Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center during the big 2016 Memorial Day Sale period. Here's why:Appliance manufacturers choose to accumulate their promotional dollars, and use them two or three times a year, to get the most impact out of their funds. Memorial Day is one of those times. As a result, during this sale period, you can save money on many appliances by taking advantage of these short term offers, that you won't find during the rest of the year.The team at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

Tips to help reduce your water usage when washing clothes.Since over 20% of the average family's water use comes from doing laundry, reducing water usage in the laundry room can have a big impact on your total household water consumption. Here are a couple of tips to save water and save money in the laundry room.Wash full loads.Whenever possible washing a full load is far more efficient and saves water over partial loads. It will also save electricity or gas when drying clothes.Wash less frequently.Nobody's suggesting that we should wear dirty clothes, but really how often do we need to wash those denims when we only wear them for light day to day use? Remember Grandma talking about Monday laundry day, and that was the only day laundry got done? The next time we're loading the washer, let's take a good look at the clothes. If a high percentage of the laundry looks like it might be just fine to use another day or two, then seriously think about saving the time, the work, the energy, and water usage by laundering less frequently.Use Energy-Saving WashersSuprisingly, there is not much else we can do to save water in clothes washing except to use a high-efficiency front-load or top-load washer. Basically, that means if we're really concerned about saving water we should not be using a traditional top-load washer with an agitator post in the middle. Agitator type top-load machines will use up to 3X the amount of water that a high-efficiency

Save water when washing dishes We've previously written about ways to save water in your home during this drought. Click on the link below: Saving Water In Your Home Now, we'd like to specifically call your attention to saving water with your dishwasher. Here are three simple ways to save water when washing dishes. 1. Use your dishwasher. Research has shown a surprising number of households who have dishwashers do not use them. Sometimes residents believe that by hand washing they'll get their dishes cleaner, that it's more sanitary, and they'll use less water. Of course, none of this is true. Hand washing dishes uses far more water, is likely to not do as good a job getting dishes clean, and is definitely less sanitary than using a dishwasher. 2. Don't pre-wash dishes. For decades dishwasher manufacturers have been imploring homemakers to forego pre-washing dishes before they put them in the dishwasher. There are two important reasons that we should not pre-wash dishes. First, it's a huge waste of water. You're bound to use as much water pre-washing the dishes as your dishwasher uses for the entire cycle. Also, pre-washing your dishes can actually cause your dishes to come out of the dishwasher dirty, and in some cases it may even damage your dishes (especially glassware). Dishwasher detergent removes dirt molecules from the dishes and suspends them in the water where they get flushed out of the dishwasher. When the dishes are pre-washed, the dishwasher is unable to capture dirt

What good is a blog?There are many valid reasons for a business to maintain a blog. Here at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) the blogs are focused on some key principles.Educating customers and prospective customersSome UAKC blogs are primarily educational. For example, we recently explained the difference between a slide-in range and a freestanding range. If you read this blog you probably won't buy a freestanding range if you need controls in the front and a range that overlaps the adjacent countertops.Freestanding vs Slide-in RangePromoting new productsWe've seen a host of new products launched recently. Some are updated models, and others are unique and might even be game-changers. These days there are many new built-in coffee makers, and they are so-o-o much fun! They all kinda look alike, but this new one called TopBrewer is different - really different! It's been touted as...The World's Finest Coffee Maker.TopBrewerSaving customers money by infoming them of rebates, sales, specials, and closeoutsFor example, though GE is probably the Grandaddy of appliance rebates, they've never before had a payout this big. It's newsworthy and literally an opportunity to save on GE "like never before".GE $2000 RebateHelping customers make better choicesCustomers want answers. But it's hard to answer a question like this. Who makes the best dishwasher? It really does depend. At ANY price? What is most important to you? Quiet...energy savings...clean dishes...at what price? Below, we try to answer your question by looking at some of the ratings.Who makes the best dishwasher?There are other