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Top 10 Green Products of 2008
BuildingGreen, LLC, publisher of the GreenSpec® Directory and Environmental Building News recently announced the 2008 Top 10 Green Building Products at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Boston. This is the seventh year that they have recognized top green products in the home building industry.
“Our selections of the Top-10 Green Building Products represent a wide range of product types in many different application areas,” noted BuildingGreen president Alex Wilson. There are a particularly large number of interior products in this year’s group of winners: the first FSC-certified and formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring; doors made with wheat-straw particleboard; a line of zero-VOC paint; a transparent finish produced from a byproduct of cheese making; and a line of organic fabrics.
Here is the complete Top 10 list:
Safe ‘N Sound Emerald Doors from Masonite
Masonite’s Emerald Safe ‘N Sound solid-core interior doors have wheat-straw particleboard cores, skins made from composite wood, and stiles and rails made from made from solid wood certified according to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. These doors reduce sound transmission and do not contain any added urea-formaldehyde.
www.masonite.com
FSC-Certified PlybooPure Bamboo Flooring from Smith & Fong
Smith & Fong has introduced the first bamboo flooring to carry Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. Available under the brand name PlybooPure, the flooring is also made with low-emitting, non-formaldehyde polyisocyanurate binder. PlybooPure comes either flat- or vertical-grained in a natural or amber color and is available unfinished or prefinished in amber or natural color.
www.plyboo.com
Natura Paint from Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of zero-VOC paints and primers are made for residential and light commercial use. These spatter-resistant paints dry quickly with little odor. While most zero-VOC paints use colorants containing as much as 150 grams per liter of VOCs, Natura uses Benjamin Moore’s own Gennex zero-VOC colorants. Natura is available as a primer as well as in flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss.
www.benjaminmoore.com
PolyWhey Floor Finish from Vermont Natural Coatings
PolyWhey is a waterborne wood finish that uses recycled whey protein, a by-product of the dairy industry, as a binder. These LEED-qualifying, low-odor coatings contain no toxic heavy metals and have a low-VOC level. They provide a clear coating with water, chemical, and scratch-resistance and with twice the durability of other waterborne finishes, according to the company, making them suitable for high-traffic residential and commercial areas. These coatings are available in gloss, semi-gloss, or satin finish; in five-gallon, gallon, quart, and pint sizes. The cans are made from 100% pre-consumer recycled polypropylene.
www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com
Matrix Total Home System from NTI
NTI’s Matrix is an integrated appliance that combines a gas-fired condensing boiler and furnace, condensing demand water heater, and heat-recovery ventilator into a single unit, and it is pre-configured for air conditioning. The Matrix can deliver five gallons of hot water per minute at 110°F (43°C) without a tank or standby energy loss. Features include an efficient, variable-speed, electronically commutated (ECM) motor; a microprocessor that adjusts heat output based on the home environment; and a sealed-combustion system that draws in outdoor air and directly vents exhaust. Compared with standard products, the efficient combustion results in less cycling, improved efficiency, and less noise, and it can be vented using conventional plastic piping.
www.nythermal.com
O Ecotextiles Natural-Fiber Fabrics
O Ecotextiles produces a diverse and luxurious collection of premium organic textiles that have been produced with careful attention to three critical factors: toxicity (both in the growing of the fibers and the production of the cloth), carbon footprint, and social justice. O Ecotextiles are made from 100% organic cotton or other sustainably grown fibers, including hemp, flax (linen), abaca, ramie, silk, and bamboo. Other than certain functional finishes available on request, such as for flame retardancy and stain resistance, the fabrics are free of hazardous chemical residues.
www.oecotextiles.com
Integrity Block
Integrity Block is a compacted-earth block used as a cost-competitive replacement for concrete masonry units (CMUs). Made from a proprietary soil mix that includes up to 60% pre-consumer recycled content (byproduct from mining or quarrying) and uses 40% less energy to produce. Integrity Blocks are the color of the earth used in manufacturing, giving them a unique natural appearance without any added dyes or pigments.
www.integrityblock.com
SunCache Solar Water Heating System from Harpiris Energy
The SunCache integral-collector-storage (ICS) solar water heater uses a roof-mounted, water-filled, unpressurized, polyethylene panel and copper heat exchanger to pre-heat water for domestic use. Developed through research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the relatively inexpensive SunCache captures heat in 50 gallons of non-circulating water stored in a rooftop panel. When a hot-water tap is turned on, cold water from the supply line flows through copper heat exchanger embedded in the panel, extracting heat from the stored water. The pre-heated water then flows, via cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) tubing, to a conventional storage or tankless water heater. No pumps are used. The acrylic glazing minimizes convective heat loss, but nighttime losses from the collector will still be significant. People using hot water in the afternoon or early evenings will see the greatest energy savings. The water heater is designed for warm climates and is not intended for use in cold climates.
www.harpiris.com
Rainwater H20G Tanks
The Rainwater HOG is a modular rainwater storage tank for use in tight spaces such as under decks, against houses, or even within walls. Two versions are available: a potable water tank made from virgin food-grade polyethylene and a non-food-grade tank made with 15% recycled content. Each module holds 50 gallons of water that can be used for gardening, irrigation, toilets, laundry, or (with the food-grade tank and after proper filtration) potable water. When installed within a building envelope, the tanks can serve as thermal storage for passive solar heating systems. These 71" x 19.5" x 8.5" tanks can be installed horizontally or vertically, and they can be installed in series. Standard colors include bronze or olive green, but other colors are available for orders of 20 or more units. A 350-gallon HOGzilla tank is being introduced in 2009.
www.rainwaterhog.com
Agilewaves Resource Monitor
Wrapping up the top ten list is the only non-residential product - the Agilewaves Resource Monitor, which is a web-based system that provides building owners with real-time data on electricity, gas and water consumption. www.agilewaves.com
For information on BuildingGreen resources, visit
www.BuildingGreen.com
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Solar water heating systems use clean, free energy from the sun to heat your hot water, which accounts for about 15 to 20% of home’s energy. Renewable energy systems do have an up-front installation cost, but you’ll enjoy an instant reduction on your utility bills. Keep in mind that these systems are not designed to provide 100% of your home’s water requirements because of the amount of cloudy days in a year. You can expect them to meet between 50 to 75% of your hot water needs, so having a backup water heater is a necessity.
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