Abacus Construction is now "Going Green" with:
- Siding
- Windows
- Electrical Wires
- Solar Energy Finder Devices
- Wall Coverings
- LED Fixtures
- Toilets
- Appliances
- Wireless Light Switches
- Greenplay Furniture
- Composite Decking
- Solar Powered Exhaust Fans
- Air Purification
- Fresh Air Ventilation
- Hardwood Floors
- Paint
- Solar Powered Exterior Lights
- Solar Heated Water
"Abacus construction is the company you can count on".
Email us: mark@abacusbuilders.com
1. Siding
WeatherBoards and ColorMax fiber-cement siding developed by CertainTeed Corporation
CertainTeed has altered the formulation of its fiber-cement siding lines to add recycled flyash. CertainTeed WeatherBoards and ColorMax fiber-cement siding lines now include 30 to 50 perce t flyash in addition to wood fiber, portland cement, and other additives. Cement is energy intensive to produce, and the use of flyash, a waste product produced by burning coal, has reduced the amount of cement required in some concrete applications in buildings. Research has shown that 100 percent flyash is feasible, though it has not been widely implemented, even within the sustainable design movement.
With the new fiber-cement formula, CertainTeed’s Lisa Santerian said, the flyash instead stands in for sand. According to Santerian, the wood fibers come from sustainably managed forests certified by an unspecified program. CertainTeed bills the new fiber-cement formula as lighter weight, lower density, and equally durable compared with its previous version.
2. Windows
Alpen Fiberglass Windows from Alpen Energy Group
Alpen Energy Group sets the bar for window energy performance using a combination of suspended films, low-e coatings, low-iron glass, gas fill, fiberglass frames insulated with vacuum-silica aerogel, and low-conductivity spacers. Its highest-performing windows achieve R-20 center-of-glass insulating value (unit R-value of 10, U-factor 0.10). The majority of the company’s products are used in projects in which different glazings are used for different wall orientations.
What makes this product green?
Building components that reduce heating and cooling loads
3. Electrical Wires
LifeGuard Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen Cable from Houston Wire & Cable Company
Nearly all electrical cable is wrapped in PVC or other halogenated plastics; many also contain lead and other heavy metals, as well as phthalate plasticizers, probable endocrine disruptors. LifeGuard low-smoke, near-zero-halogen electrical cables—many of which are lead-free and RoHS compliant—are used primarily in high-reliability utility and industry applications but are also installed in some commercial applications. Its high cost has limited its use in the residential market.
What makes this product green?
Reduces impacts from construction or demolition
Releases minimal pollutants
4. Solar Energy Finder Devices
SunEye from Solmetric Corporation
The Solmetric SunEye hand held electronic device calculates solar access using an integrated fish-eye lens and digital camera that captures an image of the site; integrated electronics then plot solar exposure at that location. Users can simulate the removal of obstructing trees or structures. Monthly, seasonal, annual, and multi-skyline shading averages can be determined in the field or uploaded to a personal computer for further analysis, reporting, and printing.
What makes this product green?
Renewable energy and fuel cells
5. Wall Coverings
180 Walls from Milliken & Company
180 Walls from Milliken is a commercial, highly permeable woven wallcovering made from 100% pre-consumer recycled polyester. Its self-adhesive backing eliminates the need for paste. This product has a Silver rating from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry's Cradle-to-Cradle certification program and is certified by Greenguard Children and Schools. 180 Walls is less expensive than most fabric wallcoverings.
What makes this product green?
Alternatives to hazardous components
Pre-consumer recycled content
Releases minimal pollutants
LEED credit relevance:
MR Credit 4—Recycled Content
IEQ Credit 4—Low-Emitting Materials
6. LED Pictures
LED Downlight from LED Lighting Fixtures
The LR6 downlight from LED Lighting Fixtures Inc. uses just under 11 watts to provide 650 lumens of light—an efficacy of 60 lumens per watt, better than compact fluorescent (CFL) downlights. It has a color-rendering index (CRI) of 92, significantly better than most CFLs. The product fits into standard 6-inch recessed cans using a regular screw base or the newer GU-24 mount. LED lighting requires no mercury (as fluorescent lamps do) and lasts three to five times longer than fluorescent bulbs.
What makes this product green?
Alternative to hazardous components
Equipment conserves energy or manages loads
LEED credit relevance:
EA Credit 1—Optimize energy performance
7. Toilets
Cube3 Ultra Urinal from Caroma
Caroma’s Cube3 Ultra urinal flushes with just one pint of water. It features a bowl optimized for very low water use and a liquid-sensing—rather than motion-sensing—automatic flush mechanism that prevents false flushes. The high-gloss vitreous china surface minimizes staining while improving sanitation and cleaning. With the mixed success of waterless urinals and lingering resistance by building staff, ultra-low-flush urinals provide an attractive alternative.
What makes this product green?
Fixtures and equipment conserve water
LEED credit relevance:
WE Credit 2—Innovative wastewater technologies
WE Credit 3—Water-use reduction
8. Appliances
800 Series SHE98M Evolution Dishwashers from Bosch
The top-of-the-line 800 Series SHE98M Evolution Dishwashers from Bosch are the most energy- efficient and quietest full-size dishwashers available in America. The 1.14 Energy Factor is 148% higher than the federal standard, and 73% higher than the Energy Star threshold. This dishwasher is also available in the Integra line as the SMX98M model. Bosch is the only appliance manufacturer with 100% of applicable products currently meeting Energy Star standards.
What makes this product green?
Equipment conserves energy and manages loads Fixtures and equipment conserve water
Noise control
LEED credit relevance:
EA Credit 1—Optimize energy Performance
WE Credit 3—Water-use reduction
9. Wireless Light Switches
Wireless Controls from EnOcean
EnOcean produces wireless controls for lighting and other building-automation equipment. The radio-frequency devices use one-tenth the power of most such controllers and are powered not by batteries but by harvesting ambient energy—such as mechanical energy from operating a light switch or photovoltaic energy from lighting in a room. Because wiring is not required, advanced controls may be more widely used, resulting in significant building-energy savings.
What makes this product green?
Reduces material use
Equipment conserves energy or manages loads
Improves light quality
LEED credit relevance:
EA Credit 1—Optimize energy performance
10. Greenplay Furniture
Greenplay Children’s Furniture from Skyline Design
Skyline Design’s Greenplay furnishings for children’s environments are made with environmentally responsible and healthy materials and finishes, including post-consumer recycled plastic, sunflower hulls, and FSC-certified wood. All coatings are zero- or very low-VOC; adhesives are entirely avoided in favor of mechanical attachments, improving end-of-life recyclability. Skyline Design will also accept outgrown Greenplay components to repurpose and donate.
What makes this product green?
Agricultural waste material
Pre-consumer recycled content
Post-consumer recycled content
Releases minimal pollutants
Rapidly renewable
LEED credit relevance:
MR Credit 4—Recycled content
MR Credit 6—Rapidly renewable materials
11. Composite Decking
PrairieFence
There’s a new breed of composite wood in town, and it’s made with annually renewable wheat straw mixed with post-consumer high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The first product from Heartland BioComposites to hit the market is the durable and attractive PrairieFence privacy fencing line, available in four low-fading integral colors. The pickets, posts, and rails mimic the appearance and use of natural wood, and come with a 20-year residential warranty (five years commercial). Heartland BioComposites touts the material as more cost-effective than wood, vinyl, and the leading wood-plastic composites, and promise that fencing is just the beginning.
12. Solar Powered Exhaust Fans
SunRise 850, 1050 and 1250
SunRise solar-powered attic ventilation fans come in three models, named according to the cubic feet per minute (cfm) of airflow they can produce: the SunRise 850, SunRise 1050, and SunRise 1250. The 850 cfm unit has an 11-watt solar panel built into the cover; the other two require 15 and 20 watts, respectively. They work the hardest when ventilation is most needed, and they’re easier and cheaper to install than hard-wired, motorized fans. They should, of course, be installed with good solar orientation for optimal performance. These fans can be used instead of, or in addition to, ridge or gable vents.
13. Air Purification
CX3000
Continental Fan Manufacturing offers the CX3000 air purification system for ducted air distribution systems serving up to 3,000 square feet. It employs an electrostatic MERV-11 filter with carbon, potassium permanganate, and zeolite layers, and photo-catalytic titanium oxide activated by a UV-C light, to filter and destroy a wide variety of airborne pollutants, including odors, germs, chemicals, and allergens. Power consumption is 45 watts. Service lights indicate when it’s time to change the filter (every six months) and UV light (annually).
14. Fresh Air Ventilation
NightBreeze
The NightBreeze ventilation cooling system from Davis Energy Group works with the mechanical system of a home or appropriate commercial space to provide not only fresh-air ventilation, but also ventilation cooling with pre-filtered night air. The system does the job with a special damper, an advanced thermostat, sensors, and a highly efficient air handler. During off-peak hours, it quietly circulates cool night air using the efficient, variable-speed, electronically commutated motor (ECM). The air’s cooling energy gets stored in the building’s thermal mass; depending on the climate, daytime compressor-based air conditioning can be reduced or even eliminated. The system is intended for new construction.
15. Hardwood Floors
Wood Floor Resource Group
The Wood Floor Resource Group (WFRG) supplies a comprehensive range of environmentally friendly wood flooring products, including FSC-certified wood, salvaged or reclaimed wood, rapidly renewable non-wood materials, and low- or zero-formaldehyde products. The Eco Products Selector on its Web site allows users to select products based on relevance to LEED credits or according to environmental attributes; by width, color, solid, or engineered construction; and whether the product is finished or unfinished. WFRG also provides LEED assistance and other support to customers, acting as an expert resource to the architectural community.
16. Paint
YOLO Colorhouse Paint
YOLO offers Green Seal certified, zero-VOC, latex interior paints in primer, flat, satin, and semigloss. The Earth’s Color collection includes 40 colors. Design kits, color family cards, and poster-sized swatches—all made with actual paint, rather than ink—are available for purchase. The “little YOLO” Sprout collection offers gender-neutral, satin-finish colors intended for children’s spaces
17. Solar Powered Exterior Lights
SoLed Solar-Powered LED Outdoor Luminaires
SolarOne Lighting offers Dark-Sky-compliant, photovoltaic-powered, lamppost-style outdoor lighting for walkways, parks, parking lots, and shelters. Trenchless installation, vandal-resistant design, remote-controlled light level and timing programs, 50,000-hour LED lamp reliability, and a 20-year solar panel warranty all add up to installation and maintenance savings—on top of zero power costs. This makes for a low-to-moderate light-level solution that continues to work during power outages and other emergencies. The company offers a variety of configurations of panel wattage, battery capacity, and lamp illumination ability to suit most conditions.
18. Solar Heated Water
SUN HoM Solar System
SUN HoM DHW is a solar hot water system appropriate for any climate, lending itself particularly well to retrofit situations. The active-indirect, drainback system uses a propylene glycol mixture (or plain water in non-freezing climates) in the collector panels and transfers the heat from that fluid to the domestic water system using a heat exchanger. When the sun isn’t out, the system shuts down. Unlike thermo-siphoning systems, this one uses small electric pumps—the hot water storage tanks (available in 80 or 120 gallon sizes) don’t need to be above, or even particularly near, the collector panels.
"Abacus construction is the company you can count on".
Email us: mark@abacusbuilders.com
