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53 of the Best Green Building Products

June 8, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Each year Building Products assembles an annual Top 100 list, which ranks products that the most readers of Building Products, Custom Home, Builder, and Remodeling requested more information about via the reader service cards found in each issue. This year was extra cool because of the top 100 products, over half were green. The list includes top picks for items like solar panels, tankless water heaters, and other resource-efficient materials.

Some of the specific cool picks include:

  • Ready Solar. A prefab, modular solar electric system with frame mounting, that’s a good alternative to custom (and expensive) photovoltaic systems. Plus this pre-assembled solar system can be customized and is compatible with any roof surface.
  • Lighting Science Group. Edison-based LED lamps that fit into traditional recessed cans and other sockets, plus come in various shades of white, and last longer than incandescents, halogens, and CFLs.
  • GE tankless water heater. Tankless gas water heaters that are smaller than most making them ideal for small spaces, such as attics and closets. Two flow rates and up to 25% savings on water-heating costs annually.
  • IceStone. IceStone indoor and outdoor surfaces, made with 100% recycled glass in a cement matrix, and come in twenty-seven standard colors.
  • Universal Forest Products. A white, wireless, sun-powered light that can be used to accent deck posts and fence posts with ambient lighting.

This list is a great way to catch up on what’s hot in green building and green home additions. See the entire list of 53 top green building products at Ecohome.

Beyond Basic Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

April 8, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

We’re always hearing about compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) – and for good reason. CFLs are more earth friendly and last longer than typical bulbs. CFLs are an inexpensive way that any household can incorporate greener standards. BUT, what other greener lighting options are there? CFLs are not the only lighting choice if your goal is a green home. Following are two more green lighting options.

LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES (LEDS): Led lighting is actually more efficient (about three times more so) than CFLs and ten times more efficient than typical incandescent bulbs. They don’t give off much heat and last far longer than CFLs or standard bulbs. For example, the typical lifespan of a CFL is at most 10,000 hours while a LED can last up to 50,000 hours.

A downside of LED bulbs is that they’re more expensive to get started with. They do pay off in energy savings and lifespan in the long run, but in the short run you’ll need a larger budget to start using them. Also, LEDs are and are not handy depending on your needs. They make sense for smaller spaces where direct light is needed, but won’t work as well to light up large areas. See more tips on where LED lighting works best.

COLD CATHODE BULBS: These are actually a type of CFL but they run at room temperature, unlike average CFLs that work (in simple terms) by heating up. These can also be used for dimmers and any other light situation where flashing lights are needed. and last longer than other CFLs. You won’t have to fork over much extra cash for cold bulbs either, they’re not too much more than other CFLs and save you a little more over time due to their long life span. Cold cathode bulbs used to be used more like LEDs – i.e. in smaller, direct light situations, but currently you can find all sorts of bulbs for all kinds of applications.

Where to find these bulbs:

Fun Green Holiday Gift Idea – Lite2Go

November 20, 2008 in Decor, Furniture & Appliances, Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | No comments

Lite2Go is way fun, and I think it would make a great green holiday gift. Take a look:

Lite2Go is about as fun as a low-key lamp can get. The lamp packaging becomes the recycled polypropylene shade, the instruction booklet and label are printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly inks, and it comes with a CFL bulb. It’s a very neat idea. I love that everything is used to make the lamp. Kids would get a kick out of that.

$65 – Lite2Go

+ 3R Living