Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2013 | Page 38

green

IMPROVING

Products

A

green finishing touch

Heated towel rails have become an essential addition
to any modern bathroom. They offer a number of ecofriendly benefits, and really complete the bathroom space
as a luxurious in-home retreat.

Less

Smart

showers

Hansgrohe showers have been using
EcoSmart technology for a long while,
and with every new shower brought
into the market, Hansgrohe continues
to factor in the precious resource that
water is. With AirPower technology,
luxurious air molecules are injected into
the water, giving it volume, but using
up to 50% less water than conventional
showers whilst maintaining the feeling
of being under a rain shower. The latest
shower range, Raindance Select, boasts
EcoSmart technology and the new click
system by using a button to change
between various spray modes. EcoSmart
showers are limited to 9 liters per minute.
Thermostatic mixers are also EcoSmart in
their own right. There is a temperature
limit of 40 degrees, which means use of
less energy used by accidental heating.
Also, by setting the temperature of water,
this means less time and water spent
finding the best temperature for your
shower.

36

September 2013 SA Real Estate Investor

BY ANTONELLA DESI

Says Craig Taylor from Bathroom
Butler: “Even though many
believe that a heated towel
rail isn’t an essential bathroom
installation, if you consider
their many practical benefits,
as well as the fact that they cost
marginally more than a plain
towel rail, whether or not to
include one into your bathroom
is really a no brainer. They really
provide an easy and inexpensive
means of adding the finishing
touch and that extra bit of
luxury to any bathroom space.”

water per flush

In the 1980s, Duravit had already reduced
the amount of water consumed by its
toilets to six litres as opposed to the nine
or more litres that were standard at the
time. Thanks to ongoing research and
development, Duravit is today able to
offer toilets that flush hygienically using
just 4.5 litres or even less water. With DualFlush technology, a household of four can
save about 17,000 litres of water per year.
Pressing the economy button flushes
with just half the water volume, whereas
pressing the large button uses the full
water volume.

Paints that

don’t peel walls

Eco-friendly paints are simply non-toxic
paints that do not contain any chemical
and are created from completely natural
ingredients. That noxious smell after
painting comes from volatile organic
compounds, or VOCs, which the paint can
continue to emit for months. Some of these
chemicals, like formaldehyde and benzene,
have been linked to respiratory problems
and even cancer, and others damage the
ozone layer. Low-VOC paint types include:
Latex, acrylic and milk paint. The labels of
paint containers can be checked for the
following information: To be considered
Low-VOC, the paint should consist of
<50 grams per litre (g/l) of VOC. To be
considered Zero-VOC, the paint should
consist of <5 g/l of VOC. Solid content
usually ranges from 25-45%, higher solid
percentages ensures less VOCs.

Green wood is good

In an affirmative step towards meeting the needs of more discerning purchasers of treated
wood, Lonza Wood Protection has received the Ecospecifier Global endorsement for two of
its products, namely Tanalised™ E and Vacsol™ Azure preservative treated wood. This sets
the foundation for Lonza to meet the noticeable shift towards an emerging awareness by
industry professionals and the end–user for alternative contemporary products that bear the
environmental Green Star rating standards. “Right now the end-user is looking for treated
wood solutions that will assist in good green design practice and meet growing public and
private demand. As an industry we need to encourage professionals to use more timber,
which reduces the carbon footprint of buildings, increases thermal efficiency, offers great
aesthetics and structural strength and is sustainable and renewable,” said Gerard Busse,
Marketing Manager, Lonza Wood Protection.

www.reimag.co.za