MNN - Mother Nature Network

Green building is a hot topic this week. Greenbuild 2012, the largest green building conference and expo in the world, kicked off today in San Francisco, California. Greenbuild is the perfect setting for the annual BuildingGreen, Inc. Top 10 Green Building Products announcement.

 

The contrasts in extreme weather this year, from record droughts to record flooding, impacted BuildingGreen's choices for the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2013.

 

“After a year of a record droughts and floods across the country, this year’s Top-10 products include several for managing moisture in buildings or for irrigating more responsibly,” says BuildingGreen founder and GreenSpec executive editor Alex Wilson. “In selecting this year’s products, we looked for companies addressing resilience, energy efficiency, thoughtful use of materials, cutting-edge system optimization, and other needs.”

 

2013 Top 10 Green Building Products

 

 

The first item that caught my eye was Haiku. With a company name like "Big Ass Fans", how could it not? Haiku is a ceiling fan that utilizes a brushless, electronically commutated DC motor. The DC motor-powered fan is more energy efficient than a traditional AC motor-powered fan. The Haiku ceiling fans use between two and 30 watts of power, which significantly exceeds Energy Star requirements.

 

The WUFI software program from Fraunhofer IBP and Oak Ridge National Laboratory also piqued my interest. The software helps prevent moisture or air quality problems by calculating "heat and moisture transfer in multi-layer building components exposed to various climate conditions." Source: BuildingGreen

 

For more information about each of the products that made this year's list, read the BuildingGreen Top 10 Green Building Products of 2013 announcement.