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Hardwood Flooring's Green Message Grows on Pros and Consumers

As recently as a year ago, Epcon Communities was not specifying hardwood flooring in its home market of Columbus, Ohio. The builder of slab-on-grade, ranch condominiums in the $180,000 to $250,000 price range installed carpet and vinyl surfaces in its homes, says Craig Thomas, vice president of...

 

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  • EPA Issues New Lead Paint Rules

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new work practice standards for remodelers of older homes in an effort to reduce lead paint exposure, particularly among children. Set to take effect in April 2010, the new standards will extend to builders, painters, plumbers, and electricia...

     
  • New + Notable

    Kohler. The industry’s first one-piece, 1.0-gpf, high-efficiency toilet with pressure assist technology, the San Raphael Pressure Lite uses compressed air to propel water for strong flushing power. According to the firm, the toilet, which carries the EPA WaterSense label, can save a household of fou...

     
  • Energy Star's Solid-State Lighting Criteria Released

    After nearly two years of development, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the finalized Energy Star criteria for solid-state, general-purpose luminaires. The criteria for the voluntary energy efficiency labeling program will be effective starting September 30, 2008, contingent upon fin...

     
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    Trends: A Brighter Future

    A new light is about to break on the horizon of residential illumination: light emitting diodes, or LEDs. LEDs have been used for years in indicator, electronic readout, and signage applications, as well as in the theater industry. More recently, LEDs are increasingly used as architectural accents i...

     
  • Energy Star Gazing

    With electricity prices rising as much as they have been for the last five years, it is important that you outfit your homes with as many energy-saving features as possible. One way to do this is with Energy Star–qualified lighting packages.

     
  • Material Considerations

    These days, there is an increasing emphasis on making everything we do sustainable. Competition in the marketplace has taken us well beyond LEED, and in order to be “greener” than one's rivals, it helps to be able to embrace as many life cycle and environmental issues as one can. Architect William M...

     
  • Not Fade Away: Lighting of Valuable Objects

    Light is a common cause of damage to paintings, drawings, books, artifacts, and virtually all types of historic and archival collections. It can cause paper to bleach, yellow, or darken, and it can weaken and embrittle the cellulose fibers that make up paper. It can also cause base materials and dye...

     
  • Residential Lighting

    Lighting for the home can be one of the most exciting projects for a lighting designer. From ambient to decorative, residential lighting has to cover many environments, moods and tasks. As the average home is increasing in size, there is an ever-increasing demand by utilities, states and other organ...

     
  • LEED: What Does It Mean for Lighting?

    One of the primary goals in establishing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system was to transform the building construction market by creating a common standard of measurement for green buildings.

     
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    Interior Products Review: Low VOC Paints

    Whether you're interested in working in a more environmentally friendly way or not, soon the interior paint you use–no matter where you live–may be a greener product. That's already true for a chunk of California and a large part of the Northeast, where stringent regulations over the last few years ...

     
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    Leading Lights

    Lighting has come into the spotlight. From quirky chandeliers to sleek sconces, it's one more way buyers can express their sense of style -- and do it without breaking the budget.