We are in the midst of some overhauls to the Postgreen Homes website which will continue over the next couple weeks. These changes are motivated by budget concerns, warranty issues, new product finds, basic improvements and other lessons of the past months. This is just the first entry in what will be an ongoing series of changes including some expansion of the scope of the customization process.
The first major change was a juggling of our kitchen appliance packages. Partly these changes were budget related as we moved money away from appliances and into air sealing and insulation. We think the dollars will have a greater impact for the end user if they are spent on energy efficiency. Using that thinking we developed three new appliance packages, one base and two upgrades.
We also took the induction cooktop out of the base option, but allowed it to be added back in as an upgrade. This was both a budget move and a usability one. Since only certain pots and pans work on the induction cooktop, we felt that it was unfair to force buyers to invest in pans at the same time they invested in a house. We still believe induction is the best cooking method for our homes, but we felt it was to soon to force the issue.
Package 1: IKEA
IKEA has fortunately given us some great design options for our base appliances. For this package we are offering their built in oven (in three color options), their dishwasher with interchangeable face plate and their electric cooktop. We stuck with the Frigidaire refridgerator because of its energy efficiency and practicality. We also offer an upgrade to a full induction cooktop in the package. For this we use the LG cooktop that is in our third package.
Package 2: Frigidaire
The Frigidaire Package features many of the appliances that were in our original homes with updates to recent versions and the addition of the hybrid induction/electric cooktop. This is the perfect cooktop for those who want to change to induction but have a couple favorite pans that might not function properly on a magnetic burner. We also allow the upgrade to LG’s full induction cooktop for this package.
Package 3: LG
Our new high-end, pretty appliances come from LG. Those who come to the Passive House Tour this Thursday will get to see how nice these things are in person. The package features a bottom-freezer, double-door fridge, a sleek dishwasher, an oven with a touch display and a very nice full induction cooktop. This upgrade is an investment, but its a good one.
We think these three packages give a nice range of options to our customers. Over the next few days I will be adding more detailed descriptions to the website, but you can see them in place now at www.postgreenhomes.com. Just customize a house and pick the appliance package you like best. Then, let us know what you think in the comments.
