CertainTeed's solar shingle shines at builders' show

Las Vegas — Plastic building products were well represented for the 2024 Best of International Builders' Show awards with finalists in categories for energy efficiency, innovative materials, doors and windows, and even most innovative construction tool.

Solstice-brand solar shingles by CertainTeed shined among the 230 entries in nine categories judged by 36 industry and media representatives for innovation, functionality and design. The solar product, which has engineered plastic components, was named the Best Energy-Efficient Product and then took the top overall honor Best in Show.

The judges noted the solar shingles seamlessly integrate with traditional asphalt shingles while delivering a very high electrical conversion and offering high impact resistance to hail along with a 25-year warranty.

"The judges felt this solar shingle is a significant advancement in aesthetics, durability and efficiency," IBS TV host Tracy Locke said during an award ceremony Feb. 29.

Solstice was up for the efficiency title along with the Upflow-brand hydro-furnace by Navien Inc., the Solarport by Suntech I Qtech, and wood fiber board insulation by TimberHP.

Solstice is a third-generation product previously called Apollo until it was improved and rebranded, according to Sahas Rathi, product manager of Saint-Gobain Solar Solutions, which is part of CertainTeed's parent company, Saint-Gobain.

"We took all benefits of conventional solar and put them in this product so the cell technology and everything is the same. We don't want to change what's working," Rathi said. "And then we designed the form factors so it fits good with the roof. This is an engineered plastic that integrates with the asphalt shingles around it. The design is sleek with the wire management underneath so there's no exposed wiring on the surface."

Three plastic building products were in the running for Most Innovative Building Material, including Everlast Advanced Composite Siding, which is manufactured by Chelsea Building Products Inc.; Protecto Wall VP by Protecto Wrap Co.; and TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking by TimberTech.

Protecto won the title for its primer-free, self-adhering, self-sealing microporous polyolefin laminate that the company says provides 98.5 percent drainage efficiency.

"Our owner and CEO Jack Hopkins is very passionate about this product because we've had a complete line of waterproofing systems, and this was that last feather in our hat. He wasn't going to let it die. This uses our super-stick technology, so it will stick down to 20 below zero, it's sealable, and you can use it for commercial and residential," said Lance Brown, Protecto Wrap marketing manager said.

Though it's been on the market for decades, TimberTech's advanced PVC decking now is manufactured with up to 65 percent recycled content from sister company Return Polymers, which collects and recycles scrap PVC material to eliminate landfill costs and improve sustainability for other companies.

"We're the largest vertically integrated recycler of PVC, and we've continued to increase the amount of recycled material used," said Amanda Cimaglia, vice president of ESG and corporate affairs. "We're keeping all that out of landfills, where it takes 400 years to decompose, and we're processing that internally."

Return Polymers can collect old vinyl products — even siding off homes at the end of its useful life — and format it for processing into deck boards. The result is decking that is aesthetically pleasing, slip-resistant, easy to maintain with a hose off or light power wash with a bio-based cleaner, and has a Class A flame rating, Cimaglia said.

Everlast is a composite siding first shown at IBS three years ago. After that event, company officials decided, "the market didn't know the product or brand or who Chelsea Building Products is, so we had to tell a big story," according to Gary Hartman, Chelsea vice president of sales and marketing.

This year, Chelsea was back to tell the story. The exhibit booth had many displays, including a glass case with all the inputs of the product: calcium stearate, calcium carbonate, impact modifier, blowing agent, process lubricant, virgin PVC, a substrate colorant, PVC regrind, acrylic capstock and three acrylic cap colorants.

"There's not a lot of product in our booth," Hartman said. "We're telling the story about what makes it different — how we design the geometry, how we can custom compound raw material to meet needs. We're an extruder with extrusion tooling we created so we could create the geometry. We're taking all of these components into consideration to come up with the finished product."

Everlast and the other plastic building products in the innovation category competed against Silvermine Stone by Silvermine Stone, EtchWood by EtchWood, an LED nightlight with a duplex receptacle by Eaton, and Wedgeclip by Camo Fasteners.

Pella Corp. was up for two awards in the Best Window and Door Product category and the Most Innovative Construction Tool category for its Pella Steady Set system. The system brings facets of the installation job indoors, which eliminates a lot of ladder work for installing wood windows — a vinyl window system is in the works — for new construction projects.

Pella won the window and door category. The system was up against a door stud by Door Stud LLC, a smart garage video keypad by LiftMaster, and a seamless glaze window system for the WinDoor Envista brand of PGT Innovations.

Pella's Steady Set System features easy-to-learn, pre-attached components that install three times faster and help ensure a repeatable and reliable window installation with one person instead of two.

"We're taking the structural fastening of that window to the interior rough opening of the home instead of the exterior," Wendy Kaysen, Pella brand manager, said at IBS 2024.

The system allows up to 64 percent of the install to happen from the interior, she added, and it reduces crew exposure to outside elements by up to 72 percent.

"We are changing the install behavior, but it's easy to learn and fast to do, so we know it'll catch on, and then we'll expand it across material types," Kaysen said. "We're starting with wood but will expand across the portfolio over time to vinyl. We believe in this system and that it will make labor more efficient for the contractors and safer as well."

Pella's Steady Set System was up for Most Innovative Construction Tool against a fall-protection system for roofers by Ballantyne Gear, a residential building system by Framecad, and an integrated layout system by Flashpoint Building Systems, which won.