Green building gear in Gotham

Bright lights in the big city. LEDTronics makes LED lights in all different shapes for commercial clients like casinos and high-end homes.

LEDs are still very expensive for regular household use, but good options are expected to be available in the next several years.

LEDs are very energy-efficient; a string of Christmas tree lights only uses a few watts. And they last a long time. LEDTronics representatives said that their LEDs will last 5.7 years with lights on 24 hours a day, or 17 years if they are on 8 hours a day. In addition, the bulbs are made of plastic and so are less fragile than glass lamps.

There are green roofs and "living walls" like this one. Both provide insulation to a building and, in the case of walls, another aesthetic option for building designers.

They can also help manage water, either by cutting down on run-off or to recycle gray water, the water from sinks and baths.

This green wall system from G-Sky is mounted on a frame with a drip-feed water system that can be remotely controlled. A moisture sensor is there to prevent overwatering.

Representatives from G-Sky said they normally grow plants for six months before installing them in restaurants or commercial buildings. These poor plants don't look so happy because they were stuck in there a day before for the trade show.

The gray water filtration system for the G-Sky green walls. The gray box on the bottom right provides an Internet connection for remotely controlling the water-feeding system. Normally, there is a fertilizer feed in here as well.

A new way to heat your home. Radiant heat, where a heating element is placed under floors, has been around for some time and is usually done by sending hot water through tubes placed under the floor.

This is an electric radiant heating system called the Step Warmfloor.

These plastic strips are stapled under the floor and a low-voltage current runs through it to provide heat. The installation is done by an electrician. The company says the system is more efficient than hot water radiant heat and easier to install.

This is a solar panel that's designed to generate electricity from a city balcony rather than a rooftop.

The SolaRail from EPV Solar is encased in glass, weighs 90 pounds, and can generate 42 watts under peak conditions. It's used in a building in the Tribeca part of Manhattan where each balcony has 14 modules. It's a good example of how thin-film solar cells open up possibilities for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

Another form of distributed generation is combined heat and power systems. This micro-turbine from Capstone Turbine runs on natural gas to produce both electricity and heat. It's 82 percent efficient and has far lower levels of nitric oxide and sulfur oxide compared with diesel generators. The heat can be used for space heating or, with an absorption chiller, for cooling. Several are already installed in New York City in buildings, and a few have been tested in buses. It can also be configured to run off of methane from landfills or waste water treatment plants, according to the company.

Why is a carpet company at a green building conference? Because Shaw Floors has designed a carpet to be completely recyclable. The backing under the nylon carpet has a toll-free number that customers can call to get the distributor to take back unwanted carpet. The backing is separated and recycled by grounding it into reusable pellets. The nylon is also broken up into smaller pieces (represented in these vials) for recycling.

All the major components of a solar hot water heating system, which typically have a quicker pay-back period than solar electric panels. The evacuated tubes heat a liquid that is piped to a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to water. That hot water is stored in a tank.

Nanogel from Duo-Guard is a translucent insulator that can be used for walls or skylights.

The Nanogel can be used on its own, or incorporated with Duo-Guard's Illumall, a modular wall system where each panel changes color on a timer.

Cardboard furniture is displayed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Pfister Energy specializes in building-integrated wind turbines. This vertical axis turbine can be mounted on the ground, a rooftop, or placed on its side.