Green products we found at Design & Construction week
By Pat Lenius
Even areas not threatened by drought benefit from more efficient use of water. As Plumbing Manufacturers International notes, efficient plumbing products help control the rising costs of additional water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure. Saving water also reduces the energy required to pump, heat and treat water, PMI points out
A study of homeowners who built or purchased and reside in National Green Building Standard certified homes, conducted by GuildQuality for the National Association of Home Builders, found that 95 percent of green homeowners said they are satisfied with the features in their home. Water usage was an important decision factor when they purchased their certified green home, according to 37 percent of respondents. After living in their green homes for an extended period of time, 52 percent cited water usage when asked about their satisfaction with the features they initially deemed important.
There were plenty of “green” plumbing products on display at Design & Construction Week, held in Las Vegas Feb. 4-6. Both the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and the International Builders’ Show, which co-located for the first time this year, were chock full of interesting new green products. We scoured the aisles of both shows to bring you these highlights.
Delta Faucet Co.
The Gold Award in the bath category in the Best of KBIS 2014 competition was presented to Delta Faucet for its Delta Temp20Technology. A digital temperature display features LED color indicators to signal different water temperature ranges. The color indicator on hand showers, showerheads and tub showers with Temp20Technology identifies water temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit with blue; 80° – 110° temperatures are designated in magenta; and all temperatures greater than 110° are highlighted in red.
All bath solutions with this technology flow at a rate of two gallons per minute and are WaterSense labeled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allowing users to save between 20 and 40 percent more water than the industry standard, according to the company.
Hand showers and showerheads with this technology are hydro-powered and available in a variety of finishes, including Chrome, Brilliance Stainless, and Venetian Bronze. In addition to these finishes, the built-in tub showers are offered in Polished Nickel and Champagne Bronze.
Niagara Conservation
The Stealth ultra-high-efficiency toilet with Dual Flush from Niagara Conservation was among those products honored with the Best of KBIS 2014 designation in the plumbing fixture category.
The toilet has two easy-to-use buttons – 0.5 gallons-per-flush for a flush that uses half the normal amount of water and 0.95 GPF for a full flush when needed. It meets EPA WaterSense criteria, uses an average of 0.65 GPF and can help save more than 15,600 gallons of water annually compared to 3.5 GPF toilets, the company said.
The toilet features a low-friction ceramic surface ru1d a fully glazed two-inch trapway, which should eliminate the need for double-flushing. The large water surface helps ensure that the bowl’s surface stays clean. Earlier this year, Niagara Conservation announced plans to expand its line of toilets by investing in a new toilet manufacturing plant in Kokomo, Ind.
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