W&D Weekly - August 1, 2007 | Vol 2, Num 30
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DOE to Toughen Energy Star Window Rating
The Department of Energy has plans to revise its criteria for Energy Star windows, now that 53 percent of new products in the residential market tout the label, said Richard Karney, DOE Energy Star program manager...
The Department of Energy has plans to revise its criteria for Energy Star windows, now that 53 percent of new products in the residential market tout the label, Richard Karney, DOE Energy Star program manager, said during the summer meeting for the National Fenestration Rating Council. The meeting was held July 23-26 in Denver.
The new ratings will be more stringent. “We want to have 20 [percent] to 25 percent of the market using the Energy Star label, so we keep the value of the Energy Star name. We want to show consumers that Energy Star means something,” Karney said.
Windows under new ratings will satisfy six criteria:
- Show significant energy savings
- Remain cost effective
- Have energy savings that can be measured
- Have equivalent functionality and performance to other products in the market
- Require no proprietary technology
- Have a label that provides meaningful differentiation to other products in the market
DOE officials are monitoring the progress of NFRC’s work on IG certification. “We’re looking very closely at the work that’s being done in the task group and will likely require IGU certification in the program,” Karney said. The program also will take into account emerging technologies such as dynamic glazing, he said. “We’d like to leap frog from where we are.” Karney says.
The DOE is currently conducting research about the new criteria and should have an initial analysis published and distributed by December 2007. Optimistically, Karney said, the criteria will be presented to stakeholders in February 2008 and finalized by March 2008. The new ratings will go into effect in January 2009 at the earliest, he said.
—by Katy Devlin, e-newsletter editor, e-glass weekly
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Norandex Acquired by CertainTeed Parent
Cie. de Saint-Gobain, the French parent of CertainTeed Corp., has acquired Owens-Corning Corp.’s siding business, which inlcudes the Norandex/Reynolds building products distribution business, for $371 million...
Cie. de Saint-Gobain, the French parent of CertainTeed Corp., has acquired Owens-Corning Corp.’s Siding Solutions business for $371 million. The purchase includes the Norandex/Reynolds building products distribution business as well as three Norandex vinyl siding plants. In total, Norandex employs 2,200 people and reported 2006 sales of $866 million.
With 153 branches in 38 states, Norandex ranks among the top 15 U.S. building product dealers and distributors in a highly fragmented market, according to Saint-Gobain. It distributes a broad line of exterior building products, including windows from Pella, Silver Line and Simonton, and Therma-Tru entry doors.
The acquisition enables CertainTeed to regain its position as the leading producer of vinyl siding in North America, according to Plastics News. A spokesperson for the French company told Plastics News, however, that the distribution business is what made the acquisition so attractive. Saint-Gobain, a 330-year-old company that got its start producing glass for the mirrors of the Versailles Palace of Louis the XIV, first expanded into the building products distribution business in 1996 and has expanded rapidly over the past 10 years to become the leader in Europe. One of Saint-Gobain’s corporate goals now is to be the leading supplier to the construction market worldwide.
Saint-Gobain officials say the Norandex plants will be consolidated with the existing CertainTeed plants, and “enable the group to unlock significant synergies.” No details have been provided, however, about how the deal will impact CertainTeed’s vinyl window operations. CertainTeed currently has three West Coast window manufacturing plants, as well as vinyl extrusion operations serving several independent, licensed CertainTeed window manufacturers around the U.S. In 2006, CertainTeed sold its Indiana vinyl window manufacturing plant to MI Windows & Doors, which now manufactures CertainTeed brand products for Midwestern markets.
Based in Valley Forge, Pa., CertainTeed manufactures a wide variety of building products at 70 facilities around the country, employing about 9,000 people. Saint-Gobain employs more than 170,000 people in 46 countries worldwide.
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NuAir Partners with Pro-Build
Florida manufacturer NuAir has handed the reins for all of its new construction installation over to Pro-Build, a building materials supplier, in a strategic partnership that aims to offer building professionals consistency in both products and installation. Pro-Build will tout NuAir as its preferred manufacturer in Florida...
Florida manufacturer NuAir has handed the reins for all of its new construction installation over to Pro-Build, a building materials supplier, in a strategic partnership that aims to offer building professionals consistency in both products and installation. Starting in September, Pro-Build will tout NuAir as its preferred manufacturer in Florida, investing significant resources into promoting the Tampa-based window and door producer.
“The decision to partner with Pro-Build was made with our valued customers in mind,” says J. Scott Henderson, president of NuAir. “We strive for complete customer satisfaction with our products and services, and we believe the Pro-Build partnership will ensure that every installation of a NuAir product is done with care and craftsmanship.”
Henderson adds that divesting of installation services of its new construction products will allow the company to focus on longer-term product development, including its plans to introduce a new line of vinyl windows in the coming year, along with other high-performance products geared at meeting the new Florida energy code. “With Pro-Build handling installation, the NuAir team will focus on what we do best—produce top quality windows and doors,” says Henderson.
Pro-Build supplies builders with a full line of building materials, as well as installation service on windows, exterior doors, siding and interior trim packages. The company goes to market as a single supplier, as it also offers project management.
“At Pro-Build, we are longtime admirers of NuAir products. They are true experts in the window and door market, and we look forward to working with them,” notes Mike Mendlik, market manager at Pro-Build East. The company will feature NuAir lines in advertising campaigns and will update NuAir merchandising displays at Pro-Build locations throughout Florida.
All current NuAir installation customers will be transitioned to Pro-Build over the course of the coming months, company officials note.
With 500 locations in 40 states, Pro-Build says it’s the nation’s largest supplier of building materials to professional builders. It got its start in 1997 when Fidelity Capital acquired Strober Building Supply. Since that time, it has added numerous other operations, including those of Lanoga Corp. and Hope Lumber.
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Rural Companies Struggle to Recruit Employees
from the Sioux City Journal
Cattle brands are seared onto the knotty pine walls of the most renowned local restaurant, a faded grain elevator is the tallest building in town, and a popular evening activity is firing shotguns at moving targets. "What makes you think you'd want to come here?" Los Angeles resident and entertainment-industry photographer Bruce Brosnan was asked by a Cabela's recruiter recently after applying for a job at the Nebraska-based outdoor gear giant... read more
New Orleans Home Sellers High and Dry
from The Shreveport Times
In working-class areas here, homes for sale have begun to move briskly. But in the ritzy Uptown district and other well-to-do neighborhoods, the picture is bleaker. "New Price" and "Reduced" signs adjoin grand Victorian homes — symbols of a struggling upscale housing market.
They're the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. In coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, a glut of higher-end homes points to soaring property insurance costs that are pricing many people out of the market. It also speaks to the legions of doctors and other professionals who have left the area and have yet to return. The price of their exodus could be severe: Economic development experts warn that if these professionals stay away en masse, it could cripple the region's recovery... read more
Most Builders Stay Away From Workforce Housing
from the Concord Monitor Online
Many Concord residents who hold down steady jobs still find it nearly impossible to pay rent or buy a home without assistance. Private developers say rising costs of land and construction, and increased state and local government regulations, have made it difficult to build affordable homes and make a profit. In surrounding towns, the problem is even more acute with growth management ordinances and zoning laws that restrict the number of units developers can build... read more
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