EnviroAire™ from Johns Manville Wins PCBC Cool Product Award

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Johns Manville (JM), one of the nation’s leading green building products manufacturers, announced today that its EnviroAire™ Duct Board is one of 10 new building industry products selected as a Cool Product Award Winner by 2007 Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) judges. For the sixth consecutive year, PCBC judges, consisting of 7,000 randomly selected builders, architects, marketing professionals and real estate professionals, reviewed 85 nominated building products to find the year’s most innovative and appealing new offerings.

PCBC, one of the nation’s top homebuilding trade shows and conferences, takes place May 29 – June 1, 2007 in San Francisco. This is the second time JM has been presented with a Cool Products award, having won in 2005 for the company’s Spider™ custom insulation system.

EnviroAire, introduced earlier this year, is a naturally white Formaldehyde-free™ fiber glass duct insulation board that offers quiet comfort for homeowners and contributes superior thermal and acoustical performance. It also helps reduce the moisture condensation in homes that can lead to mold growth. Like JM’s full line of Formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation, EnviroAire improves indoor air quality because it’s manufactured without formaldehyde. And with the average American spending up to 90 percent of their time indoors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends limiting exposure to formaldehyde as much as possible.

“Johns Manville is thrilled that EnviroAire is being recognized as a PCBC Cool Product,” said Stephen Crouch, Johns Manville market segment leader of residential construction. “Better indoor air quality and improved acoustics are becoming ever-more important to today’s homeowner, and builders should be able to choose products that meet these important needs. We’ve always built innovation into all of our products, and it’s great that our efforts with designing and producing EnviroAire are being recognized by PCBC judges.”

Johns Manville designed EnviroAire to meet builder and homeowner needs by recognizing the shortcomings of ordinary sheet metal ducts. Unlike most ducts on the market, EnviroAire's blue EnviroCoate™ Reinforced Coating System features an antimicrobial treatment to protect the air-stream surface against damage from the potential growth of bacteria, mold and fungus for the life of the product. In addition, it controls condensation, eliminating a major source of moisture which can lead to mold growth that can cause health problems after long-term exposure.

Builders appreciate the ease of installation of EnviroAire. According to R.S. Means Mechanical Cost Data 2003, the installation of duct board is 25 percent faster than bare sheet metal ducts, which leads to decreased HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) contractor costs. In addition, EnviroAire virtually eliminates leaks common in sheet metal systems, resulting in consistent temperatures, higher energy efficiency and fewer callbacks for installers.

“EnviroAire is lightweight, and the simple fabrication of fiber glass ducts means that contractors can install the product faster, reduce their own labor costs and move on to the next job site sooner. This is another example of Johns Manville’s commitment to creating building products that offer superior benefits not only to homeowners, but to contractors as well,” said Crouch.

The acoustical qualities and sound-absorbing properties of EnviroAire noticeably decrease the audibility of crosstalk and also eliminate the “popping” sounds, vibrations, equipment rumbles and other noises typically associated with noisy metal duct systems. Because EnviroAire has an added layer of insulation not found in ordinary metal air ducts, the higher R-values also deliver warm or cool air with consistently high thermal performance resulting in consistent room-to-room temperatures within the home.

For more information about Johns Manville EnviroAire, visit www.jm-builder.com/enviroaire.php

About Johns Manville

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales in excess of $2.5 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs approximately 8,500 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.

About the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC)

PCBC is one of the nation’s top homebuilding trade shows and conferences designed to help builders explore creative solutions and uncover unique strategies for navigating the hurdles of today’s homebuilding market. More than 650 exhibitors fill all three halls of San Francisco’s Moscone Center with the latest products and services designed to help builders build and sell homes more profitably. Additional information can be found at www.pcbc.com.