Columbus Monthly / October 2010 / Environment: Green products

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Environment: Green products

Local retailers and builders talk about what's new in environmentally friendly products.

Looking for a way to make your home a little—or a lot—greener? Designers, builders and home product specialists are focused on energy conservation and environmentally friendly products. We asked some top home experts for a tip or two about the latest and most popular green products and options. Here's the advice they provided.

Home Source Interiors

727 Mt. Airyshire Blvd.

Columbus, 43235

846-7373 | homesourceinteriors.com

Home Source Interiors offers one of the more unique green products, according to Cheryl Garrett, company president. “One of the biggest things we’ve got is the only window treatment product that qualifies for the energy tax credit,” she says.

The window shades, Duette Architella from Hunter Douglas, are a “honeycomb within a honeycomb,” Garrett explains. “Our front window in our showroom registered at 103 degrees. When I dropped the shade, it dropped to 84.”

The design store also has a number of items made from recycled materials including shades and vintage-style fabrics.

Creative Cabinet Solutions

5850 Zarley St.

New Albany, 43054

775-1260 | www.creativecabinet.com

Many cabinets are now being made with wood with no added formaldehyde or with wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which encourages green practices, explains Doug Lugar, owner and general manager of Creative Cabinet Solutions. There also are water-based finishes available that eliminate the need for volatile solvents.

Lugar encourages customers to talk to their salesman about green options available. “There’re always some questions about it and we bring it into our discussions all the time,” he says.

Cabinetworks Kitchens

899 King Ave.

Columbus, 43212

294-4646 | cabinetworkskitchens.com

If your cabinets generally are still in good shape, Linda Owens, general manager of Cabinetworks Kitchens, says one green option to consider is cabinet refacing.

“You keep the box part of your cupboard, so you’re not having that box remanufactured,” she says.

There also are more green options available for countertops. For example, Cambria and Silestone both offer quartz countertops, which they promote as greener alternatives to granite. “They have the look and feel of granite without actually being granite,” Owens says.

O S Homes

1825 Hannah Farms Ct.

Blacklick, 43004

738-8190 | os-homes.com

In recent years, improvements in insulation and sealing have made homes much more energy efficient, but there is a downside. “As houses are getting tighter, we’re having issues where the air is getting stale,” says Dave Smith, president of O S Homes. The excess moisture that often results can lead to mold.

One solution offered by O S Homes is a ventilation system that connects to the homeowner’s furnace. “It’s making sure that you have fresh air in your home, but it does it in an energy efficient way,” Smith says.

Cullins One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

67 Radio Dr.

Lewis Center, 43035

890-0851 | cullinsonehour.com

The best new furnaces are reaching new heights in energy efficiency, according to Jeff Cullins, owner of Cullins One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. They now can reach up to 95 percent efficiency, which means that 95 percent of the heat produced goes into heating the home. That compares to a more typical modern furnace’s efficiency of around 80 percent and an older furnace’s efficiency of 60 to 70 percent.

“Not only are they lighter on the pocketbook, it has a big effect on what is discharged into the atmosphere,” he says.

Levi’s 4 Floors

(614) 846-4441 | levis4floors.com

6329 Busch Blvd. Columbus, 43229

400 W. Olentangy St., Powell, 43202

2765 Brice Rd., Reynoldsburg, 43068

2526 Hilliard-Rome Rd., Hilliard, 43026

2035 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, 43240

62 N. Reynoldsburg-New Albany Rd., Blacklick, 43004

It’s not hard to find flooring products that are sustainable, says John Woods, one of the owners of Levi’s 4 Floors. Bamboo and cork have long been an option for hardwood floors because the raw materials for both are easily renewable. Joining them on the carpet side are more products made from recycled material.

“We have some polyester carpet that is made from recycled pop bottles,” Woods says. “We’re also seeing a lot of carpet pads that are being cleaned, reground and shaped back into carpet padding.”

Worly Plumbing Supply

400 Greenlawn Ave.

Columbus, 43223

(800) 877-0086 | worly.com

Old fashioned plumbing can use a lot of water, so installing newer plumbing fixtures can dramatically reduce water waste, says Jeff Worly, vice president of Worly Plumbing Supply.

He says that many new toilets being manufactured are using a 1.28 gallons per flush standard in anticipation of a California law that mandates that standard by 2014.

At the same time, many faucet fixtures are using new aerators to decrease the flow of water from 2.5 gallons to 1.5 gallons per minute while still giving the feel of a strong flow.

“A lot of manufacturers are making 1.5 gallons per minute standard and homeowners won’t know the difference as far as functionality,” Worly says.

J.S. Brown & Company

1522 Hess St.

Columbus, 43212

291-6876 | jsbrowncompany.com

One thing to consider when updating your home is the use of paints and finishes. Many use volatile organic compounds that can be damaging to both an individual’s health and the environment.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of alternatives, says Jeff Brown, president of J.S. Brown & Company. “Paint has gotten better and better and there are some that put out no (VOCs) now,” he says.

Another growing trend is the use of LED lighting. These lighting products are more expensive than incandescent or florescent light bulbs, but in the right fixture use far less energy.

N-Hance Wood Renewal

806-5558 | nhance.com

N-Hance uses an environmentally conscious technique to renew wood floors and cabinetry, claiming that there is no dust, no mess and no odor during the work. “It’s a real green friendly process that we use,” says owner Dan Nelson. “The process we use is water based…they don’t have to deal with noxious odors.”

The company has another green claim, too. “We preserve trees by renewing existing wood,” adds Nelson.

Generation Green

6351 Sawmill Rd.

Dublin, 43017

761-2222 | generationgreenstore.com

If you’re looking for green cleaning supplies, Heather Johnson, who owns Generation Green with her husband, Steve, recommends the line of home cleaning products by EcoDiscoveries. “They are really taking those extra steps to be green and have a smaller footprint,” she says. “They sell these 2-ounce concentrate bottles and that’s all you need to buy.”

You mix the concentrate in your own spray bottle (or you can buy a sprayer in a starter kit). Since most cleaners are concentrates mixed with water anyway, by purchasing just the concentrate, you cut down on the environmental impact of packaging and shipping. The cleaning solution itself also is non-toxic, biodegradable and fragrance free.

Pella Windows & Doors

1920 Schrock Rd.

Columbus, 43229

890-2000 | pella.com

The bad news about windows is that they have traditionally been a weak point when it comes to keeping a home well insulated. “The good news is that there are a lot of good options out there today, where you can be environmentally conscious and green, but you don’t have to shell out a lot of green,” says Pella’s Kathy Krafka Harkema.

Pella has double- and triple-pane glass windows as well as room-darkening windows with blinds incorporated between panes of glass that can lower a home’s inside temperature.

Marvin Windows and Doors

Visit marvin.com for a list of local retailers

Windows have become much more energy efficient in the past several years, says John Kirchner of Marvin Windows and Doors, and many people know enough now to ask about insulation and energy efficiency.

But what they might not consider is the environmental impact of the manufacturing process itself. Kirchner notes that all Marvin Windows are available with “chain of custody” certification from either the Sustainable Forestry Initiative or the Forest Stewardship Council. That means that these Marvin wood products have been tracked from the forest, through manufacturing and distribution, to the building where they are installed to ensure they meet green standards.

Lawrence Houck is a freelance writer.