Page 4 - Special Awards Issue 2016 Green Builder Magazine

EDITOR’S NOTE By Matt Power
Editor-in-Chief
The Inside Scoop

New Products Make

Buildings Transparent

More than just hype, the so-called “Internet of Everything” leaves no room for guesswork.
IN MY NEARLY 25 years covering the
building industry, I’ve yawned through industry now overlap in very significant ways.
a lot of trade shows. From one year to The combination of sensors with wireless
another, products and materials don’t tend technology gives the homeowner almost
omniscient power to manage climate, security

to change much: a new shingle color here, a and access to a home.

new type of resin for OSB. A lot of the changes Home control isn’t new, of course. I

are labeled as innovations, when really, they’re remember the terrified expression on one

just upgrades. That’s not to say upgrades of those Crestron smart home installers in

don’t matter. They do, big time. Composite the mid-’90s, clutching a fistful of wires a

decking doesn’t get moldy any more. Exterior few hours before a custom show house was

insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) have scheduled to open. In fairness, you needed a

layer upon layer of installation safeguards. PhD to program the infernal things.

Bath fans don’t roar like jet engine turbines. The difference today is that the devices

But this year, the innovation finally arrived. themselves are “smart” and wireless. All

I realized this when, a couple weeks before they need is standard AC power. Some don’t

the International Building Show in Vegas, even need that (although I’m not a big fan of

I attended the Consumer Electronics Show in the same location. battery-powered anything in the home). The latest gadgets handle

What I discovered is that the electronics industry and the building most of the machine-to-machine dialogue themselves, leaving the

end user with the easy stuff: Set the temperature. Decide whether to

LED Paradox. unlock the front door. Order more dishwashing detergent.
Despite a With this in mind, you’ll notice that our annual selection of 50 “hot”
stellar
reputation as a sustainable products has a real bias toward high-tech integration.
sustainable You’ll see it in every category, from the obvious applications in HVAC

brand, GE is and lighting, to innovations that are improving efficiency and safety
pulling away on the jobsite. This is no accident. The triple convergence of code
from home changes, wireless sensors and instant control will soon weed out
lighting, shoddy workmanship and inferior products. In a transparent world,
because the

new bulbs only the genuine can survive.
don’t need Which leads to our survey of brand perceptions, also in this issue.
regular
replacement. It’s interesting to note that the company with the best overall green

“cred” is GE. They were early proponents of “smart” kitchens and

energy efficient lighting. But ironically, better technology such as LED

bulbs has them selling less replacement product, so they’re pulling

up stakes, selling their consumer lighting and appliance divisions.

It’s an unpredictable, interconnected new world out there. Only the

CREDIT: GE truly sustainable products—durable, energy-saving, easy to use—will

survive to become the brand leaders of tomorrow. GB

2 GREEN BUILDER Special Awards Issue 2016 www.greenbuildermedia.com