The results are in. The five coolest green products in the PCBC conference (formerly known as the Pacific Coast Builders Conference) 2008 Cool Products contest have been chosen: the LS series tankless water heater by Rinnai, Eagle Roofing Products’ Solar Roof, Cree LED Lighting Solutions’ LR6 LED light fixture, Akeena Solar’s Andalay solar panels, and GE’s SmartDispense washer and dryer. PCBC is the largest regional home builders’ tradeshow in the United States.
These five products were chosen as the coolest in the category of green products by 679 home building professionals in an online vote. Winners also were chosen in the “consumer” and “industry” products categories. The PCBC homebuilders show organizes the contest each year for the more than 600 exhibitors at the conference.
From June 24 through June 27, at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, PCBC will host an extensive display of product innovations and offer four days of industry education, several keynote addresses, industry and market trends reports, and housing tours. Also, the Multi-Family Trends Conference and the Builder-to-Builder Green Forum will take place in conjunction with PCBC. For complete conference information, visit www.pcbc.com.
2008 Cool Products – Green Category Winners
Rinnai
The LS series tankless water heater uses 30 percent to 50 percent less energy than tank-style water heaters, supplies hot water on demand, reduces water consumption by cutting the “wait-time” for hot water, and produces 30 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than tank-style water heaters. www.foreverhotwater.com
The Solar Roof powered by SolarSave Integrated Solutions is a photovoltaic roof tile that seamlessly integrates with Eagle’s concrete roof tile, harnessing the sun’s energy while maintaining roof aesthetics and durability. www.eagleroofing.com
Using light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the LR6 light bulb offers a 20-year lifespan, delivers light and color rendering comparable to that of incandescent bulbs, generates less heat in use than an incandescent, and uses 85 percent less energy than an incandescent and less than half the energy of a compact fluorescent bulb. www.creelighting.com
Andalay solar panels feature a built-in mounting rack that allows the panels to snap into place during installation and to lie flat on rooftops to blend more seamlessly into the home’s architectural details. Each panel is fitted with electrical wiring, reducing the chance of electrical grounding errors. www.andalay.net
The GE Profile SmartDispense front-loading washer features H2ITION technology to sense the wash load and adjust water levels, while the dryer’s water extraction and moisture sensors help reduce drying time. A CleanSpeak feature allows the washer and dryer to communicate with each other, eliminating guesswork and settings for each load. www.geconsumerproducts.com
