KBB - February/March 2015 - 55

TRENDS

WIlsonart imitates natural wood with Woodgrain Laminates, which
contain 70 percent FSC certiﬁed wood ﬁbers - 34 percent of which
is from recycled sources. These materials mimic natural wood in tone,
texture and variation.
"The use of natural materials in the home, including materials that mimic nature, are on trend," said Tammy Weadock, marketing communications
manager for Wilsonart. "The warmth and depth of wood is unparalleled."
Reclaimed wood, the result of a trend for rustic, aged aesthetics, is on
par with sustainable goals as well. According to Ryan McNary, a sales
consultant at Elmwood Reclaimed Timber, the demand has increased for
reclaimed wood for wall and ceiling applications, as well as open wood
shelving in the kitchen.
"When we reclaim wood for new purposes, we reduce deforestation,"
said McNary, adding that the company's waste is also put to use, often
as bedding for a local organic dairy. In the past, the wood from old barns
and industrial building would have ended in a landﬁll, burnt or left to rot.

Appliances for Another Future
Most of the major appliances in the kitchen recently became signiﬁcantly more efﬁcient because of a new round of federal energy-efﬁciency
standards, coupled with Energy Star revisions to help consumers save. The
new standards went into effect in 2014, and washers, dryers, dishwashers
and water heaters are on the horizon for 2015.
For the past century, the way refrigerators have preserved food
has scarcely varied from harmful, carbon dioxide-emitting refrigerants.
Companies like GE are now making leaps to change this. With magnetocaloric refrigeration, GE's system instead uses a water-based ﬂuid
rather than a chemical refrigerant and magnets instead of a compressor to cool the fridge - an innovation expected to hit the market in the
next few years.
"Many of the technologies today have reached their limits of efﬁciency," said Kelley Kline, counsel, regulatory compliance and product
stewardship manager for GE Appliances. "To further improve efﬁciencies,
GE is also investing in research and development for new technologies
that will create more sustainable products and operations."

Top Left: GE's 80-Gallon GeoSpring Hybrid Electric Water Heater is 69
percent more efﬁcient than its standard counterparts, exceeding the
U.S. Department of Energy's new energy-efﬁciency standards for all
heaters larger than 55 gallons. The GeoSpring saves the average
household $388 every year compared to the standard water heater and helps improve the Home Energy Rating System index score
by four to seven valuable points. Circle No. 233 or visit kbbonline.
com/freeinfo
Top right: The HybridCare Duet Dryer with Heat Pump Technology from
Whirlpool uses moisture sensing to monitor heat and moisture levels,
ending the cycle when clothes are perfectly dry rather than running
longer than needed. Four bafﬂes tumble clothes in a randomized pattern, allowing items to open up more freely and increase the effectiveness of the dryer. Circle No. 234 or visit kbbonline.com/freeinfo
Below: The AVA single-lever basin faucet from KWC America features
a ceramic disc cartridge for more precise control of ﬂow and temperature.The faucet also meets the CALGreen certiﬁcation of 1.8 gallons
per minute. Circle No. 235 or visit kbbonline.com/freeinfo

Plumbing Solutions
Water-conserving products are among the top trends in eco-friendly
design, including the use of ﬂow restrictors that regulate to the standard
ﬂow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute. Electronic faucets in particular have
dominated the trend, especially those that contain thermostatic valves,
because they increase water savings by at least 30 percent.
"Manufacturers are responding to the need in having more ecofriendly products, however, the challenge is designing products that meet
the consumers' needs without sacriﬁcing performance," said Darryl Jones,
western regional sales manager for KWC America.
KWC kitchen faucets are CALGreen certiﬁed, which means they are set
at a 1.8-gallon-per-minute (gpm) ﬂow rate. Other states are still using anywhere from 2.2 gpm to 2.5 gpm.The KWC AVA single-lever basin faucet with
COOLFIX technology has a central lever position to eliminate the need to
waste water ﬁnding the right temperature.

www.kbbonline.com / February/March 2015

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KBB - February/March 2015

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