Builders get more options with new styles and finishes

Every year new lines of appliances are being introduced to the market, giving builders, developers and homeowners a continuous stream of choices to consider. Along with performance and energy efficiency, manufacturers are increasingly striving to create products that focus on design—appliances with high-end finishes, innovative styles and even unique textures.

New lines of heavy-duty fasteners hit the market

As all builders know, utilizing durable and high-quality brackets, connectors, joist hangers and fasteners is a critical component to building structurally intact homes and buildings. In addition to being corrosion-resistant, builder hardware products need to perform and have the engineering behind them for helping structures resist forces and maintain structural integrity.

New advances in I-joists helping builders slash labor; offer better performance

When it comes to building strong homes, it could be said, “together everything achieves more.”

Builders who construct structural systems, rather than individual components, can optimize material efficiencies, address typical design challenges and improve the overall performance of homes.

Heat pump water heaters gain market

That big old electric water heater in your dad’s utility closet may be on its way to becoming an antique before too long. Indeed, the last decade has ushered in many innovations in water heater technology—from smaller units with on-demand supply and digitized thermometer controls to tankless heaters. And as the market certainly shows interest in combining a higher level of convenience with energy-efficient technology, an impressive variety of water heater innovations has hit the shelves in the United States. Among them is the air-source heat pump water heater, which works by pulling heat from the air, compressing it and then releasing it into a water tank. By simply moving heat, instead of generating it directly from scratch, the technology is remarkably energy-efficient.

“The Accelera 300 has been saving people money on their energy bills in Europe for over 25 years,” says Bill Riley, a sales and marketing specialist for Stiebel Eltron. The German water heater manufacturer recently introduced the heat pump water heater to North America, where homeowners can reduce hot water bills by up to 80 percent, says Riley. “The beauty of heat pump water heating technology is that the amount of electrical energy needed to create hot water is greatly reduced compared to a conventional electric tank-type water heater,” Riley says. “The Accelera 300 can extract up to 80 percent of its energy requirements from the energy in the air around it.”