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Vol. 13, No. 12).

EcoVantage 1.1 and Dual-Flush toilets

Like most other Toto toilets, the Aquia is a

wash-down, gravity-flush toilet. The bowl has steep sides, and 100% of the flush water enters through the toilet bowl rim and exits through a larger-than-average, 2 5⁄8" (67 mm) trapway. By contrast, most U.S. toilets rely on a siphon-jet technology in which much of the flush water enters through the side of the bowl, creating a swirling, siphonic action that pulls—rather than pushes—water and wastes out of the bowl.

First, some background. Thermal energy storage (TES) is a relatively simple cooling technology through which cooling capacity is generated at night using off-peak electricity to chill water or make ice; then that chilled water or ice is used during the daytime to cool a building. TES systems shift the primarily electricity use for cooling to off-peak hours. This can be a huge money-saver for a company that pays demand charges or has time-of-day billing rates. In most commercial buildings, cooling is the largest energy load, and nearly all of the cooling demand occurs during daytime hours, when electricity demand is highest (see left graph in Figure). Shifting the electricity demand for cooling to nighttime hours reduces the daytime peak demand, saving money (graph on right). The steady load of cooling the ice or water also typically allows downsizing of the chiller.

While SkyBlend is not the only particleboard product on the market made with PF binder, it is the only conventional particleboard with this distinction that

EBN is aware of. Several specialized particleboard products made with PF resins, such as Resincore 1, made by Rodman Industries of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, serve primarily niche markets.SkyBlend particleboard is made from western softwood fibers and is Green Cross-certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as being made from 100% recycled wood fibers (a post-industrial waste product from lumber mills). The wood fiber is not FSC-certified. The product offers the same physical properties as Roseburg’s Ultrablend particleboard, which is produced with UF binder. While PF binders are more moisture-resistant than UF binders, the company is not claiming that SkyBlend is moisture-resistant. The particleboard core is tinted light blue so that it can be readily identified in the field. According to M. Jeremy Gilliam of the company, “We wanted to make sure it was identifiable in the marketplace.”Because the formaldehyde is tightly bound in SkyBlend’s PF formulation, the product samples EBN examined were nearly odor-free. The company claims that the formaldehyde emissions result in a concentration of about 0.04 parts per million (ppm) under standard test conditions, which is comparable to levels occurring naturally in outdoor air. Typical particleboard, by contrast, can release 7.5 times as much and still meet industry-standard specifications. While touting the benefits of no added UF, Roseburg is forthright in explaining that SkyBlend particleboard is not formaldehyde-free. SkyBlend particleboard is available in industrial grade only, in seven thicknesses, from 1/4" (6 mm) to 1 1/8" (29 mm). Standard dimensions for most thicknesses are 49" x 97" (124 x 246 cm), while the 3/4" (19 mm) and 1 1/8" panels are also available in larger sizes. Custom dimensions may be available for large orders. SkyBlend particleboard costs approximately twice as much as conventional particleboard, according to Gilliam. Even with the premium price, he says, the product is very competitive with other particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) products that are not made with UF resins—including Sierra Pine’s Medite II® line and the straw particleboard products WoodStalk™ and PrimeBoard™, all of which are made with non-formaldehyde MDI (a polyurethane binder). SkyBlend is produced at Roseburg’s Dillard, Oregon, factory, which has a capacity of about 400 million ft2 (40 million m2) of product, 3/4" basis. If demand warrants it, Gilliam told EBN that the company could devote at least one-quarter of the plant’s output to SkyBlend, producing more than 100 million ft2 (9 million m2) per year. The product will be available through selected distributors within the Roseburg distribution base.


In addition to the complete Uppercut flushometer, Sloan offers an Uppercut dual-flush handle retrofit kit that can be fitted onto the company’s Royal®, Regal®, and Crown® II, and other similar-style manual flushometer valves. When retrofitted onto a conventional flushometer, the water savings is 30%, so on an older toilet that uses 3.5 gallons per flush (13 lpf), the savings is approximately one gallon (4 liters) per flush. Flush performance at the reduced flush volume will be best, according to Jim Allen, water conservation manager at Sloan, with a “late-generation, 1.6 gallon-flush bowl.”
The handle has an antimicrobial coating for protection against germs. It is a metallic (silver-ion) coating rather than a chemical coating that will come off over time or that could contaminate users. 
To aid in educating users, the Uppercut flushvalve handle is a distinctive green color and is shipped with two explanatory plaques to place near the toilet. The company is also producing a memo describing the importance of water conservation and explaining the dual-flush technology; the idea is for the memo to be downloaded from the Sloan website and circulated within a company when Uppercut flushvalves are installed.
The cost of the retrofit kit is about $30, according to Allen (pricing varies by volume and the sales channel). When purchased as a complete system, the Uppercut costs about $20 more than a standard valve.
To increase the chances of proper usage, the company recommends roughing-in the Uppercut flush valve 36" (90 cm) above the flow, which is higher than normal. According to Allen, this will make users less likely to flush the toilet by kicking the flushvalve—which is a common practice. The product is designed to function with this abuse, however; if it gets kicked in the up direction, it will flush at the lower volume.
While just introduced in August 2005, the Uppercut flushometer valve has been field-tested for about four months, according to Allen, who has been pleased with the performance.

EBN reached several very satisfied users at facilities where the Uppercut flush valves have been installed. “This is a very easy, low-cost retrofit to save a significant amount of water,” according to Ken Peintka, chief operating officer at Planning Design Build in Madison, Wisconsin. “It’s kind of a no brainer.” Monique Faber, a plumbing engineer at the same company, told

It is not unusual for an interior designer to review dozens of samples in the course of a project. Each sample costs the manufacturer about $50, for a stock or running-line sample, or $150 for a custom sample. Shaw Industries spends about $14 million annually providing samples, according to Steve Bradfield, vice president for environmental development at Shaw. Industry-wide, about 700,000 samples are produced each year.

The resources consumed in the process are significant. Tricycle estimates that it takes nearly a quart (0.9 liter) of oil just to produce the nylon fiber in a typical carpet sample. Manufacturing carpet also consumes water at a rate of over 2 gallons (9 liters) per sample, and most of the samples produced end up in a landfill or incinerator. Designers often order a wide selection of samples, in part because getting them takes time—at least a week and sometimes as long as three weeks for custom designs.

The new generation of high-performance films relies on properties of reflectivity and emissivity rather than absorption. Spectrally selective coatings reject heat gain by blocking the infrared spectrum responsible for almost half the heat contained in sunlight, while blocking much less of the visible light. These film properties are achieved with microthin layers of various metals applied to polyester films; performance properties are manipulated by using different types and quantities of metals. The low-emissivity technology used in contemporary window films is the same as that used in low-emissivity windows; see

EBN

Soy-based adhesives have been in the works for a decade or more (see

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Vol. 8, No. 1 for details on river-bottom salvage in Florida.)