Adual-flush toilet designed for the commercial market and a "pint-sized" thermal energy storage system for small commercial and residential buildings are among the winners of BuildingGreen's 2005 Top 10 Green Products awards. The Brattleboro, Vt.-based publisher of the GreenSpec product directory and Environmental Building News evaluated hundreds of new products to compile its fourth annual list, which will be announced this month at the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild Conference in Atlanta. Here's a sneak peak at two products that made the list:
Sloan's Uppercut dual-flush flushometer valve is the first dual-flush toilet designed specifically for the commercial market. The dual-flush option allows the toilet to function with two different flush volumes: a standard 1.6-gallon flush for solid wastes and a 1.1-gallon discharge for liquid wastes and paper. Users simply pushed down or pulled up on the valve handle to activate the desired flush.
The unit is sold as a complete flushometer, or as a retrofit kit for Sloan Royal, Regal, Crown II, and other similar-style manual flushometers. If retrofitted onto flushvalves that use more water, the savings at the light-flush is about 30%—savings of about one gallon for a 3.5-gallon flushometer.
Sloan recommends that the flush performance will be best when used with a late-generation toilet bowl designed to flush with 1.6 gallons.
The Uppercut handle has a metallic silver-ion antimicrobial coating for protection against germs and is green in color to distinguish it from standard flush-valve handles. www.sloanvalve.com
What makes this product green? Conserves water.
LEED credits: WE 2, Innovative wastewater technologies; WE 3, Water use reduction.
The Ice Bear 50 from Ice Energy is an ice-based thermal energy storage system designed for smaller commercial and even residential buildings. The system is composed of a standard five-ton air-conditioning condensing unit that operates at night to freeze about 500 gallons of water in a 5×5×5-foot insulated energy storage module. During the daytime, a small 100-watt electric pump circulates refrigerant through the ice and a standard 7.5-ton evaporator coil and blower in the building to provide the cooling. Daytime electricity use for cooling is reduced by 95%. Along with the benefits of reducing peak electricity use, the compressor can actually operate more efficiently in some situations, because 1) the outside air is cooler at night, 2) a smaller compressor can be used, and 3) the compressor does not cycle on and off during the ice-making.
The Ice Bear 50 is designed for commercial buildings of 2,000–50,000 sf that rely on packaged air-conditioning units. The primary market is retail stores in the "Starbucks to Wal-Mart" size, according to Ice Energy. www.ice-energy.com
What makes this product green? Uses energy efficiently.
LEED credits: EA Credit 1, Optimize energy performance.
LED Lamps Enlighten and Save Energy
Westhinghouse's Nanolux LED lamps provide uniform light distribution through their patented polymer magnification and dispersion system. Lasting up to 100,000 hours, the energy-efficient LED lamps can be used in indoor and outdoor applications including signs and lighting fixtures. LED lights use up to 88% less energy (based on 24 hours per day usage and the national average cost of energy at ten cents per kw/h. Available in a variety of colors, Nanolux is the only LED lamp UL listed for use in wet environments.
Westinghouse Inc.
Reader Service No. 202
Green Hand Dryer
World Dryer Corporation's newest hand dryer, the 275 CFM volume output, 15-second AirMax, has qualified for the GreenSpec designation, which allows customers who purchase the product to earn LEED certification credits. The dryer is available in white enamel-coated cast iron, polished stainless steel, or brushed stainless steel, and can be surface mounted or recess mounted. Also offered is an "E" nozzle version that meets ADA requirements when used with the recess mounting kit.
World Dryer Corp.
Reader Service No. 251
Ventilated, Insulated Roof Panels
Hunter Panels' Cool-Vent rigid roof insulation panels are manufactured as ventilated nailbase panels that promote air circulation within the roof assembly. The steep-slope boards have sustainable thermal insulating characteristics, including an APA-rated OSB or plywood top layer, a middle layer of wood spacers, and a bottom layer of polyisocyanurate foam that help eliminate moisture vapor and heat build-up. The panels are recommended for use on roof slopes greater than 1:4.
Hunter Panels
Reader Service No. 237
Sustainable Tile
Oceanside glasstile uses scrap glass (mostly post-consumer bottle glass) and other recycled materials to create its luxury glass tile lines. Red #777, shown above, is composed of 100% post-consumer glass.
Oceanside Tile Glass
Reader Service No. 235
Self-Adhering Wall Coverings
Milliken & Company's new wall covering, called 180 Walls, hangs with pressure-sensitive adhesive, not paste. The company says the "dry" installation prevents shrinking and peeling, and enables the covering to be removed years later without damage to wall surfaces. The polyester covering comes in four textured, permeable patterns that allow air and moisture penetration so walls can breathe. An antimicrobial agent is incorporated into the material to prevent mold and mildew growth. Additionally, the covering incorporates the company's StainSmart technology that repels fluids to prevent liquid -based stains, according to the manufacturer.
Milliken & Company
Reader Service No. 250
Easy-to-use, Compact Fluorescent Lighting
Lithonia Lighting's CKP residential compact fluorescent downlights have a plug-and-play feature that reduces installation time by 35%, the company says. The fixture is shipped with two housings: a remote unit factory-installed with a pre-wired 11-foot flex cable, and a master unit with an electronic ballast and a junction box. A plug-in connection in the field links the two units. CKP holds two 26-watt, 4-pin triple-tube fluorescent lamps that use one-third the wattage of common incandescent lamps, according to the company.
Lithonia Lighting
Reader Service No. 239
Custom Alarms Fit Any Building Type
Gamewell has a line of fully digital and networked audio alarm systems able to support up to six channels of digital audio, including line paging and two-way phone communications, plus control functions that all operate on a single pair of wires or fiber optic cables. This technology allows the manufacturer to custom-configure its systems for unique buildings and floor plans, or to meet local requirements for voice-activation systems.
Gamewell
Reader Service No. 207
Clear and Strong Safety Glazing
SuperLite safety glass is a clear, impact safety-rated, fire-rated and scratch-resistant ceramic glazing. It can withstand up to 400 lbs. of impact without breaking (impact-rated toCPSC 16CFR1201 Cat. II), as well as meet the most stringent fire ratings. Available in large sizes, SuperLite glazing can can be used in steel, wood, aluminum or any equally fire-rated framing system.
SuperLite
Reader Service No. 236
A Blue Look for Architectural Glass
PPG has introduced Vistacool Azuria glass, a reflective, color-enriched architectural glass that has an aqua-blue appearance and transmits high levels of daylight. The new glass was created to fill the needs of customers who wanted tinted high performance architectural glass with high visible light transmittance and reflectivity that is more muted than the mirror-like finish of traditional reflective glass. Vistacool Azuria provides Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) of 47%, and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.34. These combinations produce light to solar gain (LSG) ratios of 1.39 to 1.62, exceeding the U.S. Department of Energy's standard for spectrally selective glasses, 1.25 or better.
PPG Inc.
Reader Service No. 220
Side-Load Header
Gyro Tech by Nabco Entrances Inc. offers a side-load header option on its line of swing doors, which eases installation and service of the door operator and controls, the company says. The system's access panel, which is located on the header's side rather than the bottom, pivots up and locks into position so installation, removal, and servicing can be carried out while the door remains closed. The side-load option is available on the GT 300 Overhead Concealed Swing Door Operator, GT 400 Conversion Unit, GT 500 Low Energy ADA Swing Door System, GT 710 Low Energy ADA Swing Door System, and the GT 600 Fire Door System. Gyro Tech.
Nabco Entrances Inc.
Reader Service No. 242
Outdoor Radiance
Energy-efficient parking garage lighting provides for client and vehicle safety. NiteLyte II illuminates horizontal and vertical surfaces. Durable die-cast aluminum design can be mounted in a variety of ways. Available in a white polyester powdercoat finish.
Juno Lighting Group
Reader Service No. 208
Clean, Clear Lighting for Labs
Guth BioSeal luminaires are well suited for hazardous locations requiring bio-safety levels 1, 2, or 3 and cleanrooms from Class 10 to Class 10,000. Typical applications include research, development, and testing laboratories of all kinds. The Bio-Seal line also offers energy-efficient ceiling troffers that meet the most demanding ambient lighting requirements, in biological workplaces that are prone to contamination and corrosion. Luminaires have a standard, low-scale, unitized, single-piece rectangular aluminum housing.
Guth BioSeal
Reader Service No. 234
