PATERSON, N.J. - BASF hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate its Near-Zero Energy Home that is 80 percent more energy efficient, more durable, and faster to construct than conventionally built homes, according to the company. The project was designed to achieve a 95.5 Home Energy Rater Systems (HERS) Energy Star® score and is a prototype for the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) newly launched rating system for the energy efficiency and environmental impact of homes.

Key participants at the dedication ceremony were Klaus Peter Löbbe, BASF Corp., chairman and CEO; Jeanne Fox, president of the New Jersey board of public utilities; José 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."

The Near-Zero Energy Home 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. 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.

Publication date: 05/29/2006