Clean, Efficient Products Seen at Greenbuild 2017

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®

One of the main advantages of building your own home is that you get to decide which products to use—and that’s just perfect for those who have environmental consciousness on their minds. Living clean and efficiently is a great choice for our air, water, and land, and your own wallet, so plenty of companies have taken note of increased interest among their customers. Here are some eco-friendly products we found at Greenbuild in Boston that we think you’ll love to use in your own home!

An Intelligent Home Solar Power Solution

Have you ever seen a plant move to follow the sun and marveled its natural ingenuity? Plants angle themselves for optimum exposure, and now there’s a home solar system that does the same! The smartflower from SmartFlower Solar™ looks like a dynamic sculpture with petals of photovoltaic cells, and it moves autonomously to capture the best light and generate 40% more energy than traditional panels. Its unique form is totally functional, too—it folds itself up at night and in bad weather to prevent damage and uses that mechanism to clean itself with brushes on the back of each petal. The smartflower does everything on its own after setup, and you reap the energy for your home or even your electric car!

Model: SmartFlower Solar™ smartflower | Price Varies by Location

A Toilet That Is Highly Efficient and Much More

Kohler® introduced us to the Corbelle™ toilet, which uses only 1.28 gallons per flush to meet EPA WaterSense® guidelines. It features a brand-new technology to create a more powerful and effective flush, and an unnoticeable protective layer in the bowl that causes water to glide right off the porcelain, preventing bacterial, mildew, and mineral buildup for an easier time cleaning. The seat height is also a couple inches higher than standard to make it less difficult to stand and sit, earning ADA approval. This deceptively simple, traditionally styled toilet has a ton of great qualities that the whole family will appreciate!

Model: Kohler® Corbelle™ Comfort Height® two-piece elongated 1.28 gpf toilet with skirted trapway and Revolution 360™ swirl flushing technology and left-hand trip lever | $446.00 MSRP

A Hidden HVAC System to Finish in Your Own Style

If the thought of a ductless home HVAC system makes you worry for its effect on your interior design, you’ll love this indoor unit! The wall-mounted Art Cool® Gallery Inverter from LG also functions as a picture frame that you can fill with your own art, ensuring it fits your stringent style requirements. It is available as a multi-zone system and compatible with Multi F series outdoor units, which are quiet and specifically designed for residential use, can support up to eight indoor units, and feature brand-new LGRED° technology to deliver outstanding heating performance in cold climates. With plenty of operation modes to discover and remote control, these frames are so much more than meets the eye!

Model: LG Art Cool™ Gallery | Price Varies by Model

Hot Water Warmed by the Heat of the Sun

Your hot water heater is an energy hog, so wouldn’t it be great to bypass natural gas or electricity and use the heat from the sun instead? With a solar water heating system, you can make use of heat from your roof that would otherwise go to waste! SunEarth, Inc. has been in the business since 1978 and has a variety of collectors, heat exchangers, solar tanks, and other components to build a solution that suits your house and climate. Just imagine how much more efficient your home could be with a few panels on top! And if you’re a little wary of relying on the sun, don’t worry—you can hook up an auxiliary heater for backup.

Model: SunEarth, Inc. Cascade 2 Drainback System | Contact for a Quote

Zero-VOC Paint for a Healthier Interior

Paint fumes aren’t just annoying—they’re dangerous for you and the environment. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in traditional solvents have been implicated in a number of diseases, are a major source of pollution, and can off gas for years. That’s why choosing zero-VOC paints is a great decision. Benjamin Moore® offers its Natura® zero-VOC, 100% acrylic interior paint in flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss to suit your needs—and it produces zero emissions just four hours after application! Certified asthma & allergy friendly® and available in thousands of colors, it’s a choice your whole family will love!

Model: Benjamin Moore® Natura® in Royal Flush (2076-20) for the entry and Mascarpone (AF-20) for the living room walls | Price Varies

Clean, Efficient Products Seen at Greenbuild 2017

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