Tag Archives: international builders show

We were thrilled to have HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse join the gas industry booth at the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, FL during the week of January 10, 2011. Carter is the celebrity ambassador for the Council for Responsible Energy (CRE), and in this role he participated in the booth both at the Professional Women in Building Leadership Breakfast and during scheduled times throughout the show greeting booth attendees, signing autographs and of course, talking about the many benefits of natural gas.

“It’s easy for me to talk about natural gas—I grew up with gas and still use it today in my homes in Michigan and California,” Carter said, adding, “Building with natural gas provides the competitive edge for all that it delivers—greater efficiency without sacrifice, eco-friendliness, energy security and lower operating costs for continued savings.”

Carter has long been passionate about the environment and focuses much of his work on green building solutions and design alternatives that conserve energy and reduce environmental waste. He is a strong advocate for the energy efficiency efforts we promote in the natural gas industry and has been a fervent supporter of CRE’s efforts. Judging by the many photo ops he posed for, he is quite the crowd pleaser and we could not be more pleased he was able to participate in the show!

We hope you enjoy these photos from Carter’s activities throughout the week, and make sure to keep a look out on the CRE website for further activities with Carter…there’s lots more in store for 2011!

The MGM Mirage City Center Project opened last month and it is the talk of the town. Attendees to the 2010 International Builders Show are flocking to see it.

City Center is a dazzling array of towering hotels, condos, restaurants and high end shops and boutiques occupying 67 acres with more than a quarter mile of frontage on the Las Vegas Strip. With more than 18 million square feet of development, it is truly a city within a city.

One million tons of concrete were used in its construction, enough to build a four foot wide sidewalk from Las Vegas to New York City and back. The steel that was used would be enough to build ten Eiffel Towers and the fiber optic cable in the project could circle the equator four times! Clearing the site produced more than 300,000 tons of construction debris but 93 percent of it was recycled.

This, plus the fact that natural gas is used throughout the project has enabled City Center to receive LEED Gold certification for energy and environmental excellence.

A ten megawatt natural gas fueled cogeneration plant provides much of the electricity. Every residential condo unit features a top of the line gas cooktop and all of the hotels and restaurants have huge kitchens filled with natural gas cooking equipment. I think the only chef in the project that does not cook with gas is the guy that makes sushi.

The MGM Mirage City Center is an outstanding example of how the direct use on natural gas provides builders with a pathway toward high efficiency, high performance and a low carbon footprint.

Every year one of the highlights of the International Builders Show (IBS) is The New American Home (TNAH), the official showcase home of the convention. The 2009 TNAH, which features the revolutionary AISIN Gas Heat Pump, has been such a huge success that it remains open for tours for an 18 month period.

The 2010 TNAH, however, has met a different fate and is, in some ways, the poster child for the state of the new home construction industry. The home was about 75 percent complete in November when the builder ran out of money and could not, even after a concerted effort by the NAHB and allies throughout the country, obtain financing to finish the job. The bank foreclosed on the home on December 28 and the builder has gone out of business.

To its credit, the NAHB made  lemonade out of this lemon by producing a very professional “virtual tour” of TNAH, and builders are lining up to view it. Numerous natural gas appliances are in the home, including the “Phoenix” solar/gas water heater from Heat Transfer Products, Inc. That product is in the AGA exhibit booth as is the Ecopower Microcogeneration (CHP) appliance sized for residential and small commercial applications. This unit, made by Marathon Engine Systems and fueled by natural gas, is running full time in our booth, producing all the electricity for the entire exhibit. We are not connected to the electric grid!

Despite the current condition of the housing industry, builder traffic in our exhibit has been excellent and there appears to be a lot of interest in the natural gas technology we are showcasing. The Natural Gas Home is truly a Green Home.