Kitchen & Bath Business March/April 2023 - 41

Consumers considering making the switch from gas to electric
ranges could find incentives in the climate spending bill signed into
law in August 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act includes rebates
of up to $840 for the purchase of new electric ranges as part of some
$4.5 billion in funding to help low- and moderate-income households
electrify their homes.
" When we launched our first induction downdraft cooktop in 2022,
we designed it to ensure that the downdraft is compatible with the induction
cooktop, " said Jennifer Bradley, global product development at
Fisher & Paykel. " We centered the downdraft component in the middle
of the cooktop to maximize the ventilation performance. The proximity
is closer to the pot or pan, which is the source of the airflow and creates
the most compatible combination that has sufficient extraction. "
Jennifer Stoner, president and chief creative director of Richmond,
Va.-based Jennifer Stoner Interiors, offers a practical compromise to
address the question. " I think induction is certainly the wave of the
future and offers many benefits, including quick heating, cooler surfaces
for safety and more precise, even cooking. But Americans are still
enamored with their gas ranges. This is why when recently renovating
my own kitchen, we installed the Signature Kitchen Suite 48-in.
Pro Range, which features an induction cooktop along with four gas
burners. It's the best of both worlds and resolved the argument with
my husband over which we should get. "
THE NEED TO VENT
Indoor air quality continues to be top-of-mind with many households.
Placing an air purifier in the kitchen, a move that a Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine study found lowered nitrogen dioxide levels by
about half as much as replacing a gas stove, is one way to address this
issue - but mind the details when choosing an appliance. Some brands
have been " innovating " the truth about the efficacy of their products.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the air purifier market has been
saturated with manufacturers making unproven claims about the
performance of their appliances. These are often based on skewed,
back-of-the envelope calculations of air-exchange rates. There is an
impartial measurement, though, for accurate performance data.
" Sharp has used AHAM's 'Verifide' program for air purifiers since
nearly the program's inception, " said Jim Sanduski, president of Sharp
Home Electronics Co. of America. " With rigorous, standardized
measurement testing for Clean Air Delivery Rate, it provides independent
testing that enables an apples-to-apples comparison of
effective square-foot room-size coverage at 4.8 air changes per hour.
Consumers who choose AHAM Verifide-certified air purifiers can
trust that the products will deliver the performance they claim. "
DON'T FORGET THE FRIDGE
A recent report from Allstate Protection Plans drills down to expose an
interesting perspective on food preservation. It revealed that a little more
than half (55%) of homeowners spent money repairing or replacing
broken appliances, costing an average of $713 each. Thirty-nine percent
had to throw away food because of a damaged refrigerator or freezer. Put
another way, 67.1 million American homeowners tossed out more than
$14.1 billion worth of spoiled food, an average of $209 per incident.
Whether it's because of faulty appliances, a reaction to inflationary
prices or a fixation on farm-to-table ingredients, food preservation
KBBONLINE.COM
41
LEFT Powered by a DC motor,
the 42-in. Island Range
Hood by Fotile is engineered
to exhaust larger cooking
surfaces installed on an island
- a notoriously challenging
location for ventilation.
The capture shields on
both sides of the unit can
open to a 55-degree angle.
us.fotileglobal.com
BELOW The Bespoke 4-Door
Flex with Family Hub
Refrigerator by Samsung
features a sleek, 32-in.
high-definition touchscreen
display that easily enables
viewing multiple windows
simultaneously. A camera in
the cooler helps owners track
the contents of the fridge
remotely. samsung.com
http://us.fotileglobal.com http://www.samsung.com http://www.KBBONLINE.COM
Kitchen & Bath Business March/April 2023

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