Imagine Homes to Offer DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles for All New Construction

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, DOW POWERHOUSE™ announced a major new collaboration with Imagine Homes, a San Antonio-based homebuilder leading the nation in new high performance green building technology, to offer the cutting-edge DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle roof system to all new homebuyers in Imagine Homes’ six San Antonio area residential communities. Additionally, DOW POWERHOUSE will be a standard feature on all homes in the Willis Ranch community, scheduled to open in September 2012.

“Imagine Homes’ partnership with DOW POWERHOUSE to expand availability of the revolutionary solar roofing product in San Antonio directly supports our mission to increase the number of energy efficient houses throughout our region.”

Today’s announcement expands the channels for San Antonio homeowners to obtain the nation’s first solar shingle roof product, making it easier to transform their roofs into a power source that offsets a significant percentage of home energy costs. Imagine Homes becomes the first homebuilder in Texas to offer DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle roof systems as part of their product portfolio, increasing availability of the revolutionary roofing product to more San Antonio homeowners.

“The DOW POWERHOUSE team is tremendously proud and very enthusiastic to be working with one of the nation’s leading green home builders to provide homeowners in the San Antonio metro area with complete energy-efficient building envelope options,” said Dan Pezolt, Dow Solar Marketing Director. “Our partnership with Imagine Homes will integrate our neighborhood-friendly Solar Shingles that actively generate electricity with new homes that have been designed from foundation to roof with energy-efficient design in mind.”

Imagine Homes is a leader in green homebuilding technologies and best practices, with third-party certification through the Build San Antonio Green and Energy Star programs. Imagine Homes also exceeds the U.S. Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge target for homes to be 30 percent more energy-efficient than the standard code for U.S. homes based on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index.

“We applaud Imagine Homes for their industry leadership, and we are thrilled to continue our certification of their energy efficient, solar powered new homes here in San Antonio,” said Anita Devora, Executive Director, Build San Antonio Green. “Imagine Homes’ partnership with DOW POWERHOUSE to expand availability of the revolutionary solar roofing product in San Antonio directly supports our mission to increase the number of energy efficient houses throughout our region.”

The DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle roofing system will be offered to all Imagine Homes’ customers as a feature for all future builds. It includes:

A custom designed array of shingles to fit the individual homeowner’s budget and energy goals, and it is arranged to complement the style and form of the home and roofline.
A solar Inverter that converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) and feeds the home’s power needs or can be returned to the power grid.
A monitoring system accessible from any internet connection, showing real-time energy production and generation.

“When we heard DOW POWERHOUSE was available in San Antonio, we knew this was the perfect roofing solution for our High Performance Green Homes,” said Imagine Homes President John Friesenhahn. “DOW POWERHOUSE offers a homebuilder like us, a two-in-one product that protects the house from the elements, while harnessing the power of the sun to provide sustainable energy for the home, and allowing our homeowners to invest today and determine how much they want to protect against rising energy costs in the future. Just as importantly, DOW POWERHOUSE offers an aesthetically superior look for our exterior design. There is no other product on the market like it.”

Made in the USA and backed by a 20 year warranty from DOW, the POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle is certified as both a solar and roofing product. It has received seven performance and safety certifications, including the backing of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) certification and is proven to withstand rain, hail and wind uplift.

Visit DOWPOWERHOUSE.com to find more information about the DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles and to get specific information on our availability in the Texas market.

About Imagine Homes

Imagine Homes is San Antonio’s only true "green" volume homebuilder that combines innovation and craftsmanship to build healthy, energy-saving and environmentally responsible homes. The company was the first to build all homes under both the federal Energy Star program and the Build San Antonio Green program, co-administered by the Greater San Antonio Builders Association and the Metropolitan Partnership for Energy. Established in 2006 by Jim Bastoni and John Friesenhahn, Imagine Homes has grown quickly with homes built or under construction in six high-growth neighborhoods throughout the San Antonio area.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About DOW POWERHOUSE™

The DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle is a first-of-its kind product, designed to combine the benefits of solar technology with the durability and performance of traditional roofing materials. POWERHOUSE has been developed to introduce solar technology to a new generation of homeowners by providing an unprecedented integrated roof appearance and simplified installation. It combines a roofing shingle with a solar cell, enabling the DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle to be installed by a roofer along with standard asphalt roofing materials. This makes the DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle an easy choice for homeowners looking for a residential solar solution that is easy to install and aesthetically pleasing. Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) products from Dow Solar are one of the many innovations from Dow establishing the Company on the forefront of alternative energy solutions and expanding Dow's commitment to using chemistry to solve the world's energy challenges. More information about DOW POWERHOUSE can be found at www.DOWPOWERHOUSE.com. Homeowners and building professionals can also follow DOW POWERHOUSE on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DowPowerhouse) and Twitter (@DOWPOWERHOUSE) or via YouTube.