Home show builds on energy efficiency
February 3, 2006
News-Leader.com
Written by: Nina Rao
For those who want a walk-in shower bigger than a minivan, a copper steeple for their rooftop or an in-home theater, the 25th annual HBA Home Show is a good place to start.
And for those who worry about rising energy prices, the show is better than ever as vendors showcase more energy-efficient products in direct response to consumer demand.
"Energy efficiency is one of the top things on people's minds," said Sheila Nichols, who co-owns Nixa's E-Factor Spray Foam Insulation with her husband. "You can either invest in your home or you can invest in the gas company."
Interest in the Nichols' product, which cuts utility bills by sealing air leaks, has spiked as energy prices bounce ever higher.
"Energy's the name of the game right now," Nichols said.
"The market's driving people to us, really," agreed Joe LaRue, vice president of Springfield-based Alandsons Supply Co.
Alandsons sells a building material that looks like massive Lego blocks. The blocks are filled with concrete, creating solid walls that increase a building's energy efficiency.
LaRue said the company is working on a 2,400-square-foot home in Kimberling City. He estimates the owners will pay only $28 a month on heating and cooling.
Not that energy-efficiency is the only thing on display at the HBA Home Show.
Not at all.
The show is essentially a chance for area companies to put their best foot forward, said Matt Morrow, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield. That they do, often by showing exclusive high-end products.
Such products include flat-screen televisions hidden behind paintings and marble bathtubs, walk-in showers bigger than some bathrooms, porcelain sinks made in the Ming factory in China, a backyard patio landscaped to perfection and pool tables with carved, wooden legs.
"Luckily we've got lenders here, too," Morrow joked.
It's the quality of the displays and of the products that stand out to John Harp, a salesman for Acme Brick. Harp has helped organize the show for the past 21 years.
It "started out as a tabletop show at Battlefield Mall" 25 years ago, Harp said. Now "we have the best show between Chicago and Dallas."
But this year, energy-efficiency is definitely a big topic, he said.
Morrow agrees.
Though energy-efficiency has always had a presence at the show, "I think there's certainly more interest now," he said.
Today and Sunday, for example, visitors can attend a free seminar called "Green Building Makes Dollars and Sense," the first time such a seminar is being offered at the HBA Home Show. Other seminar topics include home security, remodeling, landscaping and tile, among others.
At the Krueger Mechanical Services display, people can learn about geo-thermal heating and cooling, which uses the earth's temperature to reduce utility costs, and about on-demand hot water heaters, which reduce hot water heating costs.
People are more and more interested.
"For every 10 furnaces we've changed this winter, nine have gone to a 90 percent efficient appliance," said Rory Krueger. Before about half the furnaces the company installed were 90 percent efficient.
Shannon Lee of Rock Solid Construction agrees that interest is high. Provided, of course, that the appliance or fixture fits the person's aesthetic and financial plans.
"People still want what they want," Lee said.