The Coolest of the Cool, PCBC Announces 2009 Cool Products Winners

Every year, hundreds of exhibitors come to PCBC in San Francisco to market their best and most innovative products to the nation’s top homebuilders - products designed to help improve the homebuilding process, make a new home more inviting to a prospective buyer, and help improve the sustainability of our communities.

Now in its eighth year, PCBC’s Cool Products competition seeks to highlight those products that have that extra “cool” factor that makes builders and consumers take notice. This year’s competition was divided into four categories: Conserves Natural Resources; Contributes to a Healthier, Safer Living Environment; A New, Cool Invention; and Saves Energy.

A select panel of industry experts, including homebuilders, media, and architects, reviewed the finalists in each of the four categories and voted to determine which products were the “coolest of the cool.”

“We like providing our exhibitors with a chance to showcase their groundbreaking new products in a little friendly competition, especially if it helps them to succeed in this difficult marketplace,” said Linda Baysari, Senior Vice President, Meetings & Convention, PCBC. “This is a fun way to draw attention to some new and exciting products while shining the spotlight on our innovative and creative exhibitors.”

The winners will be among the hundreds of exhibitors displaying their new and innovative products at PCBC, which takes place June 17-19 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Each winner will have a special “Cool Products Winner” award displayed in their exhibit, and there will be kiosks displaying the winners with respective booth numbers to direct people to the appropriate exhibitors.

Here are the 2009 Cool Products winners:

Category: Conserves Natural Resources
Winner:EcoStar, Booth #1140
Product: Majestic Slate 10" Traditional Tiles, a narrower version of EcoStar’s existing
12-inch tiles, these 10-inch Majestic Slate tiles are intended to more closely replicate
the look of standard slate tiles, which are traditionally manufactured in both 10- and
12-inch widths.
Cool Qualities: Made from 80% recycled material; Minimal use of limestone fillers;
Can be combined with 12" tiles for authentic slate appearance.
Contact: Katie Armbrust, [e-mail], 717-960-4401.

Category:Contributes to a Healthier, Safer Living Environment
Winner:Icynene Inc., Booth #2611
Product: Icynene LD-R-50, a climate-friendly, light-density,
spray-foam insulation and air barrier that contributes to a healthier,
quieter and more energy-efficient building. Made using 100% natural castor
oil, its HFC-free formulation helps contractors insulate and air-seal in
one step for superior energy conservation while minimizing environmental
impact.
Cool Qualities: Castor oil is 100% naturally filtered with no chemical
additives; The castor oil production process has low energy dependence;
Castor crops are non-irrigated saving scarce water supplies; Castor
crops do not require pesticide or fungicide treatment; Castor beans are a
rapidly renewable material that helped LD-R-50 become the 1st building
product to receive the ICC-ES SAVE designation (VAR-1002) for sustainability.
Contact: Susanne Robbins, [e-mail], 800-758-7325.

Category: A New, Cool Invention
Winner:Panasonic, Booth #0716
Product: WhisperGreen FV-08VKM2, an 80 CFM Ventilation Fan
with Variable Speed Controls and Motion Sensor.
Cool Qualities: Only ventilation fan in the industry to exceed
Energy Star guidelines by 457%-550% with revolutionary energy-efficient
DC motor. The product is compliant with required ventilation codes and
green building programs, and the Smart Action motion sensor eliminates
moisture, odor, and other indoor pollutants. It also features built-in
variable speed controls with high/low delay timer.
Contact: Anita So, [e-mail], 201-392-4471.

Category: Saves Energy
Winner:Custom-Bilt Metals, Booth #2329
Product: FusionSolar, a more-affordable rooftop solar power
generation system integrated within a standing seam metal roof
that provides both simplicity and low installation costs.
Cool Qualities: The FusionSolar system comes fully assembled,
with the solar, thin-film laminate already integrated into the roof,
which minimizes the installation costs and qualifies for tax incentives.
FusionSolar visually blends in without penetrations in the roof, delivers
up to 7 LEED points in the on-site renewable energy category and also
achieves a higher relative efficiency under high temperatures and low
light than solar glass. Prospective customers receive a customized
(ROI) report to help determine payback period and to understand how
much total power consumption is offset by generating clean, renewable
and dependable electric power.
Contact: Adam Ganz, [e-mail], 206-628-7700.

About PCBC

PCBC is a community of builders and manufacturers, building scientists and architects, environmental engineers and landscape companies, working together to advance the art and science of community building. Started 50 years ago as the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, PCBC brings together people creating better communities, imagining and building the places where we love to live. PCBC The Show is held each summer in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Featuring hundreds of exhibiting companies displaying the latest product and service innovations and three days of executive conferences, forums, workshops, and speakers, PCBC The Show is the idea marketplace for leading residential builders, developers, architects, investors, product manufacturers, and advisers in the industry. For more information, visit www.pcbc.com.

Contacts:

CBIA/PCBC
John Frith, 916-443-7933, ext. 332
[e-mail]
or
PCBC
Mike Castillo, 916-443-7933, ext. 346
[e-mail]