Green Building Product Dealer

ecohaus opens San Francisco Showroom

Pioneer green building product dealer ecohaus takes a big first step outside its traditional Pacific Northwest base in opening a retail outlet in San Francisco. The company's existing stores have built a reputation as the go-to place for innovative choices in kitchen & bath products, FSC flooring, insulation, sheet goods, finishes, outdoor decking, fireplaces, lighting, and other eco-friendly materials. The new showroom's layout has been designed to provide end-users and building professionals with an optimized hands-on shopping experience, assisted by a sales staff schooled in product details and design principles.

The store utilizes a unique layout which is based on extensive observation of how people actually shop for home building and interior finish supplies. Customers can easily navigate the showroom with help from signage and detailed point-of-purchase aids that inform about the origin and lifecycle of products. Educational events help consumers learn about installation and maintenance at "How-To" Workshops.

Shoppers can spend time at a 'paint station' where they can compare hundreds of eco-friendly paint, stains, and decorative products while seeking helpful advice from a team of knowledgeable sales experts. The ecohaus inventory also includes FSC certified wood flooring; a kitchen & bath section featuring stylish WaterSense certified toilets, showerheads, and an attractive selection of countertops; a child-safe mix of landscaping, decking and outdoor furnishing materials; and much more. Ecohaus offers expert design consultation and installation services as well as home delivery, shipping, and financing.

Founded by Matthew Freeman-Gleason in 1992, Ecohaus also has retail locations in Seattle and Portland, OR, plus a web sales department and a wholesale distribution division.

Federal Court Issues 1st Chinese Drywall Ruling

The first U.S. court ruling over damages caused by defective Chinese-made drywall was handed down in April, as a federal judge in New Orleans ordered a Chinese manufacturer to pay seven Virginia families a total of $2.6 million for damages to their homes attributed to drywall. The decision is certain to impact pending lawsuits filed by thousands of homeowners across the nation whose residences were damaged by leeching sulfur from inferior-grade drywall imported from China.

The Chinese drywall – used as a cheap alternative to American-made products – has been linked to a host of problems by homeowners around the country, including corroded electrical wiring, appliance outages, rotting walls and personal belongings, as well as ill health caused by the acrid sulfur fumes. Many of the damaged homes are in the Gulf region, where builders used the cheaper Chinese drywall to construct new homes following Hurricane Katrina and other storms.

The plaintiff families were represented by the Seeger Weiss law firm.

EPA Sets Out to Repair Its Battered Energy Star Label
It wasn't good news for the ENERGY STAR program when it was revealed the agency had been “punk'd” by the Government Accounting Office. The GAO had submitted a ludicrous array of phony products – such as a gasoline powered alarm clock – that won ENERGY STAR approval. In addition, four GAO created faux companies were awarded ENERGY STAR partner status.
Ouch!

In response, the EPA and the Department of Energy jointly announced a series of steps to restore ENERGY STAR's credibility. The DOE has begun testing approximately 200 models of refrigerator/freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, water heaters and room air conditioners through third-party, independent test laboratories. In the future, manufacturers applying for the ENERGY STAR label must submit their products for testing from independent labs, and must then submit those approved products to ongoing verification tests to demonstrate continued compliance.

The EPA and DOE also revealed a series of actions taken in recent months to ensure compliance with both ENERGY STAR and DOE's efficiency standards, including action against 35 manufacturers in the past four months. When a violation is found, the right to use the ENERGY STAR label is revoked, corrective measures are required, and the ENERGY STAR partnership may be terminated. In 2008 under DOE pressure, LG Electronics agreed to pay back consumers for promised energy savings and provide free, in-home upgrades to improve several models of their refrigerators.

“Consumers have long trusted the Energy Star brand for products that will save them energy and save them money,” said Cathy Zoi, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “The steps we're taking now will further strengthen and improve the program, building on the results that consumers have come to expect.”

Dow's Solar Shingles
Dow Chemical has unveiled DOW POWERHOUSE™, a line of 'revolutionary' photovoltaic solar panels in the form of shingles that can be integrated into conventional rooftops side-by-side with standard asphalt shingle materials. The solar shingle systems are expected to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and projected to be more widely available in 2011, putting the power of solar electricity generation directly and conveniently in the hands of homeowners.

The technology integrates low-cost, thin-film CIGS photovoltaic cells into a proprietary roofing shingle design. The innovative design reduces installation costs because the conventional roofing shingles and solar generating shingles are installed simultaneously by roofing contractors. DSS expects an enthusiastic response from roofing contractors since no specialized skills or knowledge of solar array installations are required.

"This is just one example of how Dow's $1.5 billion annual R&D investment is allowing us to deliver practical solutions for some of the world's most critical challenges," said Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew N. Liveris. "These types of innovative products not only showcase our deep scientific and technical expertise but also demonstrate how our commitment to R&D is fueling Dow's future growth agenda around the world."

Jane Palmieri, Managing Director of Dow Solar Solutions, noted that Dow's technology addresses two of the biggest challenges associated with solar power – cost and acceptance. "Consumers reap the benefits of our innovation. This is about providing roof protection and electricity generation all from one product, with lower costs, improved aesthetics, easier installation and long-lasting performance," she said.

The big question is: which portion of the supply chain is best suited to service the roofing contractors who will be installing these new photovoltaic panels?