Homeland Security Begins at Home -- BASF Offers Example to Nation for Near Zero Energy, Disaster Resistant Homes

BASF offers example to nation for Near-Zero Energy, disaster resistant homes.

We have constructed this home in order to inspire homeowners, builders and architects locally, as well as nationally

Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) May 17, 2006 -- BASF is currently presenting a demonstration home -- the Better Home, Better Planet: Near-Zero Energy Home in Paterson, N.J. to demonstrate how chemistry can help create a home that is 80 percent more energy efficient, more durable and faster to construct than conventionally built homes. The home will be open for tours during the Summer of 2006 for all to learn more about better building.

BASF, along with more than 150 of its customers and strategic allies, built the Near-Zero Energy Home-Paterson, N.J., to exemplify how BASF chemistry helps further energy-saving, durable, sustainable and affordable building practices. The project is designed to achieve a 95.5 HERS ENERGY STAR® score, an unprecedented accomplishment in New Jersey ENERGY STAR history, and is a prototype for the U.S. Green Building Council’s newly launched rating system for the energy efficiency and environmental impact of homes.

The Near-Zero Energy Home-Paterson, N.J., will be the site for a number of seminars and tours to architects, builders, government officials, homeowners, realtors, financial institutions and other interested parties throughout the summer of 2006.

Once the demonstration phases are completed, the home will be donated to St. Michael’s Housing Corporation. This organization will then turn over the home to a local family with a quadriplegic boy to occupy. As such, the project is also designed to showcase elements of accessible design.

Key participants at the dedication ceremony were Klaus Peter Löbbe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BASF Corporation; Jeanne M. Fox, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; José "Joey" Torres, Mayor of Paterson, N.J.; David Rodgers, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); and Diane Johnson, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“We have constructed this home in order to inspire homeowners, builders and architects locally, as well as nationally,” said Löbbe. “We want them to know that sustainable, energy-efficient and disaster-resistant homes are not a concept of the future, but a reality today. Homes based on the technologies demonstrated here are accessible to real people at affordable prices.”

Löbbe explained that this project is part of BASF’s international Better Home, Better Planet Initiative aimed at creating similar models of excellence in building and construction worldwide. “Today, from here in Paterson, N.J., we are extending the reach of BASF’s Better Home, Better Planet Initiative. We have partnered with the United Nations to provide similar technologies for tsunami relief projects in Sri Lanka and India, and are working in the U.S. Gulf Coast region to provide energy-saving, disaster-resistant buildings to replace those lost in hurricane-ravaged areas.”

Environmental futurist and architect, William McDonough has specified BASF chemistry to help him with his biggest project yet: China.

Contracted by the China Housing Industry Association, McDonough has been charged with overseeing the design of seven brand-new cradle-to-cradle cities with enough housing for 400 million people. In the next 12 years, many of these homes will be built using the basic BASF technologies featured in the Near-Zero Energy Home to help China achieve a reduction of energy use by 65 percent by the year 2020.

Strategic allies of the BASF Better Home, Better Planet Initiative: Near-Zero Energy Home -Paterson, N.J., include: Chrisner Group; City of Paterson; Environmental Design + Construction; GRAD Associates; Green Ideas™; Insulspan; KBI Contractors; MBDC; New Jersey ENERGY STAR Program; American Polysteel; St. Michael Housing Authority; Steven Winter and Associates; Sustainable Buildings Industry Council; New Jersey Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council; U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s PATH Program and the U.S. Department of Energy. More information can be found at www.betterhomebetterplanet.com.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF employs about 10,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $11.3 billion in 2005. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

As the world’s leading chemical company, BASF's portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. BASF’s intelligent system solutions and high-value products help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. In 2005, BASF had approximately 81,000 employees and posted sales of more than $50.4 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

For more information, contact:
Mary MacLeod
(On behalf of BASF)
Tel: (207) 712-5606

David A. Elliott
BASF
Tel: (734) 324-6148

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