In March GREEN BUILDER published their 2013 Reader’s Choice Survey showing what products used in the home building and remodeling industry they consider to be the “Greenest”. I believe that when the professionals were selecting these products they selected the products that were the best balance of value, quality, and environmental friendliness.
Since our blog focuses on the kitchen I will fill you in on all the products they discussed relative to the kitchen.
Appliances
First let’s look at Appliances. When it comes to “green appliances” there can be two sides to the story. Mostly people move directly to energy efficient models with Energy Star labels. In 2013 Frigidaire topped the list with four models in the top five. But the standard most products need to live up to might be overlooked here, and that is the materials and the manufacturing process.
Cabinets and Countertops
For those of you looking to upgrade your cabinets or countertop, industry professionals are saying these companies have the best green products.
Paint and Flooring
These two items are very important, not just the the Earth’s environment but to people’s too. The emissions from paint and flooring can cause problems especially if you are pregnant. So buying the right type of paint is important. You want to find products that don’t emit dangerous gasses after they are installed or used. This is especially true if you are sensitive like have allergies, sinus problems, or asthma.
A question you might have about this article is, “How do the builders know?” Well the builders from this survey said they did research using third party sources and looked at the company’s website as well. For the last 10 years “green” has been a huge buzzword. A lot of companies have picked it up from a marketing perspective, but have change little else about their practices. You do have to make sure that companies are not just “greenwashing.” Which is a term designated for exactly the marketing practiced mentioned.
As I stated before, builders are not just looking for purely green products but a balance of aesthetics, performance, cost, and sustainability. Another interesting aspect is that in almost 50% of all the product decisions made the homeowner is selecting the product. This is up almost 10% from last year’s survey. This surprises me because I would have assumed the customer selected all the products. I think I would and have! I would definitely listen to their advice though.
