There is definitely growing interest in going green in our homes. The green construction market is estimated to be $12 billion to $17 billion this year! The poor housing market is requiring builders and rehabbers to rethink their strategies, and there are many incentives (both federal and state) to make these homes more earth friendly and sustainable.
Now, if you are in California, these builders and rehabbers actually have no choice. They have adopted a green building standards code (CALGreen Code) that took effect January 1st of this year. Areas that will now be regulated include energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water conservation, site development, and recycling.
If you aren’t in the market for a new home, there are some definite advantages this year to install some green upgrades. The Federal Housing Administration has a PowerSaver loan program that will allow homeowners to get up to $25,000 in loans to help them install energy efficient products like water heaters, insulation, solar panels, and geothermal heating systems.
Some products you may want to add to your homes this year include:
This is a dual flush toilet made by Caroma. It also includes a small hand sink on the top of its tank. When you flush the toilet, the water system directs clean water into the faucet, so you can wash your hands. The sink water then drains into the toilet tank to be drained the next time your flush. Besides a great conversation piece and a “green” product, I also see it as something that could be a space saver in smaller bathrooms!
Another device that should be on your radar is the Modlet. It is an electrical outlet system that plugs into your existing outlets. It uses a USB connection to wirelessly talk to your computer. You are able to plug up to 2 devices into it, and the Modlet will monitor your usage and automatically turn off the power to a device.
If you need a new roof, a new product labeled Smog-Eating is now on the market. It contains titanium dioxide (which is a photo catalytic catalyst which means it reacts to sunlight). According to MonerLifetile, 2,000 square feet of this tile can eliminate a comparable amount of nitrogen oxide that a car driving 10,800 miles produces. This is definitely a way to limit your carbon footprint!
Every year, there are more and more products that enter the market to help us become greener. These three products are just a snapshot of new products that will be found this year. Some of the products will be a great fit for your homes while others won’t. I personally won’t be installing that dual flush toilet, but I definitely think it’s something very cool. It definitely makes you think before you flush! However, with the incentives out there, this is the year to make big changes to make your home as green as it can be!
Make sure to visit Green Earth News’ Green Is Grand section for more on eco-friendly living!
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If you don’t like the idea of having a sink above the toilet, you can also opt for a “regular” Caroma Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets look sleek, really work and are affordable. They offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 (or 1.28) Gal flush for solids. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the 80’s and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5” trapway, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled High Efficiency Toilets (HET’s) http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_het.htm and qualify for nationwide toilet rebate programs as well as LEED points. Please go to http://www.caromausa.com for more information or visit http://www.ecotransitions.com/howto.asp to see how we flush potatoes with 0.8 gallons of water, meant for liquids only. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli.
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