ORLANDO, FLA.—Building insulation products from Dow Building Solutions have achieved recertification by the Cradle to Cradle Certification program, a well-known, multi-attribute eco-label that assesses a product’s safety and environmental impact. Originally certified and announced at IBS last year after rigorous analysis,  STYROFOAM Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation and SAFETOUCH Fiberglass-Free Insulation both recertified at the SILVER level, while STYROFOAM SIS Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing, THERMAX Exterior Insulation, and STYROFOAM Brand Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Insulation all achieved BASIC recertification. “We feel that recertification of our building insulation products under a holistic analysis like Cradle to Cradle is a preferred...

CONCORD, N.H.—More than 8 million pounds of greenhouse gases were eliminated last year as a result of energy efficient lighting implemented in 57 lodging businesses in New Hampshire.  That is the equivalent of 358 cars being taken off the road according to Michelle Veasey, manager of the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program (NHSLRP). That is just the beginning. Those same businesses conserved more than 7 million gallons of water with water saving devices and guest-directed conservation programs. The NHSLRP asked certified green properties to recertify under a new application that allowed the program to calculate the impact of...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced that its in-house sustainability system—Green Engage—has been awarded with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) volume precertification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). IHG is the first hotel company to receive this award for an existing hotels program. The USGBC’s LEED rating system is a program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Volume precertification is a preliminary step that provides a streamlined path to LEED certification for a large group...

ORLANDO, FLA.—At the 2011 International Builders’ Show (IBS) in February, Panasonic Home & Environment Company will showcase its third generation of the WhisperGreen line of premium ventilation fans. Thirteen ceiling mounted fans designed for 4” or 6” ducts will be featured. The fans offer quiet operation and enhanced energy efficiency and are ideal for light commercial applications.   “The third generation models include all the advanced features that builders and contractors have come to love about WhisperGreen, including SmartFlow Optimum CFM Technology and our super energy efficient DC motor,” said Anita So, marketing manager, Panasonic Home & Environment Company. “At Panasonic,...

PHILADELPHIA—LED Saving Solutions, a supplier of U.S. made high-performance LED lighting, is offering $10 million in grant incentives to private companies to jump-start conversion from energy wasting traditional lighting to more energy efficient LED lighting. The Green Light Program provides private companies and nonprofit organizations in the United States with up to $10,000 in grant funds to be used toward an LED lighting retrofit.  “This grant program is not some Santa’s list rewarding companies that have been nice to the environment,” says Charlie Szoradi, president of LED Saving Solutions. “This is about introducing a simple and measurable way to...

NIANTIC, CONN.—The InterContinental San Francisco hotel is reaping the financial and environmental benefits of implementing the e4 Smart Digital Thermostat developed by Niantic, Conn.-based INNCOM, a leader in advanced guestroom automation systems for hotels and resorts. According to the INNCOM tracking system, the property saved $75,491 on energy costs from January to September 2010. “With the INNCOM EMS and e4 Smart Digital Thermostat, we can allow guests a much greater amount of control and responsiveness than we could with systems that simply turn everything off,” says Harry Hobbs, InterContinental San Francisco director of engineering. “Most of the time the features...

SAN FRANCISCO—As part of its Solid-State Lighting Technology Demonstration GATEWAY Program, the U.S. Department of Energy recently released the results of a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Retrofit Lamp study conducted at the InterContinental San Francisco. The study was prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. At the hotel, multi-lamp linear wall-grazing luminaires, mono-point track lights, and recessed adjustable downlights, all using either 20W or 30W halogen MR16 lamps, were retrofitted with 6W LED MR16 replacement lamps by CRS Electronics. In addition, two kinds of recessed downlights using 75W halogen PAR30 lamps were retrofitted with 11W LED PAR30 replacement lamps by Philips...

SATELLITE BEACH, FLA.—Lighting Science Group recently became the first U.S. company to domestically manufacture one million LED bulbs in less than a year. The one millionth bulb is a new ultra-efficient, omni-directional LED A19 bulb that will replace America’s most commonly used 60 watt incandescent bulb. Available beginning this month, Lighting Science Group’s 850 lumen, 13 watt LED bulb is 75 percent more efficient than the 60 watt incandescent bulb it replaces and will last close to 23 years—based on a usage of 6 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days/year. The new 60 watt equivalent LED bulb...

BOULDER, COLO.—Despite the general weakness in new construction due to the global recession, one building-related field has continued to grow: retrofits tied to improving the efficiency of facilities. A number of factors have been driving this growth, including the need to improve the energy performance of buildings for cost savings as well as the desire to obtain green building certification. A new white paper from Pike Research identifies 10 key trends that are having a strong influence on the worldwide building industry. The paper, which includes predictions about the building efficiency market in 2011 and beyond, is available for...

VENICE, CALIF.—Enovative Kontrol Systems recently launched D’MAND CIRC recirculation pump controllers that optimize central water heating systems for multi-tenant buildings. To improve the delivery of hot water, D’MAND CIRC operates on an as needed basis, minimizing radiant heat loss and pump run times. This greatly enhances the overall efficiency of water heating systems for hotels, and lowers natural gas consumption as well as heating costs by up to 30 percent. The installation of D’MAND CIRC can also assist in a building’s LEED certification. “We’ve incorporated D’MAND CIRC into all of our buildings and immediately saw a significant energy savings reflected...