Pre-consumer (also called “post-industrial”) recycling refers to the reuse of industrial by-products, as distinguished from material that has been in consumer use. The iron-ore slag used to make mineral wool insulation and the fly ash used to make concrete are examples of post-industrial recycled materials. While post-consumer recycled content is preferable, a product that uses pre-consumer content or recycles a seldom-used waste product, especially in an area where recycled products are hard to find, can be considered green.
Excluded from this category, by FTC definitions, is the use of scrap within the same manufacturing process from which it was generated—material that would typically have gone back into the manufacturing process anyway.
Logix Integrated Ceiling Panels
Logix Integrated Ceiling System uses USG’s acoustic ceiling tiles and is designed to incorporate GE Lighting’s Lumination LED Linear Recessed Luminaires; luminaires from a-light, amerlux, and Zumtobel; air diffusers from Carnes; and sprinkler systems from SprinkFLEX.
Logix Integrated Ceiling System uses USG’s acoustic ceiling tiles and is designed to incorporate GE Lighting’s Lumination LED Linear Recessed Luminaires; luminaires from a-light, amerlux, and Zumtobel; air diffusers from Carnes; and sprinkler systems from SprinkFLEX. Used in offices, retail, and other commercial settings, the Logix system fits 4"- or 6"-wide by 4'- or 5'-long LED fixtures and can look like a single narrow light spanning the expanse of a room, providing design options beyond standard recessed troffers.
26 51 14: Interior Luminaires
Interior luminaires incorporate a fixture along with a fluorescent or LED lamp and other electronics, blending performance and aesthetics to provide the most energy-efficient lighting for a chosen application.
Fluorescent high-bay fixtures can replace conventional HID lighting in gymnasiums, warehouses, and other high-ceiling spaces, offering both direct energy savings and the benefit of instant-on (making them more likely to be turned off).
LED lighting is used for applications from task lighting to downlighting. Although LED luminaires typically have a higher first cost than those that use halogen or incandescent bulbs, high-quality LED luminaires can have a service life of 25,000–50,000 hours, making them a good long-term investment.
Some luminaires incorporate modular LEDs, where a removable LED module is separate from the fixture that contains the driver electronics and finned metal heat sink. (LEDs generate heat internally, in contrast with other lighting sources that generate it as radiation, making them particularly susceptible to damage and reduced service life due to heat.) Currently used primarily as a halogen replacement, these modules allow just the light source to be changed, similar to a lightbulb, or upgraded as need arises or technology advances, without having to replace the entire fixture.
GreenSpec lists companies that provide Energy Star qualified luminaires, modular LED light engines, and those that contain significant recycled content along with LED or fluorescent lamps.
09 51 00: Acoustical Ceilings
Acoustical ceiling materials vary depending on the specific performance criteria desired—including durability, light reflectance, sound absorption, cleanability, design flexibility, and flame resistance.
Sound absorption is most commonly expressed as a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC), the percentage of sound waves absorbed by the material rather than reflected back into the room. Products listed by GreenSpec have an NRC of at least 0.80 (80%). Other measures of acoustic performance include Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC), which rates a ceiling’s efficiency as a sound barrier between two rooms whose dividing wall doesn’t connect to the structural ceiling, and Sound Transmission Class (STC), which expresses how well a partition attenuates sound. For high acoustic performance, the CAC should exceed 35 or the STC 55.
Most common in commercial suspended ceilings are wet-pressed mineral-fiber tiles and panels, typically made from a mixture of waste paper, mineral fiber (which may include slag, a waste product from steel-making), cornstarch, and various other mineral-based components. A number of these products have high recycled content; some, however, may contain low levels of formaldehyde.
Fiberglass ceiling panels are also available with recycled content, although the percentage is typically lower than with mineral-fiber products. Most fiberglass ceiling panel products use a phenol-formaldehyde binder.
Though far more common in Europe, wood-fiber-based ceiling panel products are also available in the U.S.—these are free of mineral fibers and formaldehyde and may have some recycled content, but are typically more expensive.
Metal ceiling products may or may not include a backing of fiberglass.
Products for use in food service facilities, hospitals, or other areas with high sanitary standards have a PVC covering or scrubbable paint finish.
Residential acoustical ceiling panels are not available in as many materials or styles as commercial products.
LEED Credits
IEQc4.6: Low-Emitting Materials—Ceiling and Wall Systems
MRc4: Recycled Content
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USG Corporation
550 West Adams St.
Chicago, IL
Toll-Free: 800-874-4968
www.usg.com
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