American Gas - August/September 2013 - (Page 40)

With the housing industry experiencing its best year since 2008, next February’s International Builders’ Show, now combined with the Kitchen & Bath Show, is providing some exciting opportunities for the industry By TrAcy Burleson h e a dway HouSIng ReBoundS: SpReAd tHe WoRd A fter five tough years, the housing industry is finally showing signs of a sustained rebound. Consider these recent developments: • Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose for a third consecutive month in May, posting a 2.1 percent gain to a seasonally adjusted rate of 476,000 units, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the fastest sales pace recorded since July of 2008. • Nationwide housing starts—single-family and multifamily combined—rose 6.8 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units, according to HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. Single-family permits edged up 1.3 percent to 622,000 units in May—their best pace in five years. • Builder confidence hit a major milestone in June, surging to its biggest gain since 2002 and highest level since 2006. With this uptick in activity expected to continue, spirits will be high when the nation’s leading home builders, remodelers, and architects gather for the National Association of Home Builders’ 2014 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 4-6. The IBS is the largest annual light construction show in the world, with miles and miles of the latest and most advanced building products and services. Once again, AGA will have a prominent, 2,500-square-foot exhibit space near the show’s front entrance, where manufacturers of the latest natural gas-related products will showcase efficient, high-performance gas solutions for today’s homes, and talk one-one-one with industry decision makers. In addition to the manufacturers of gas appliances, natural gas industry members should be at this major event. With natural gas prices widely expected to remain low and stable, and a growing number of home builders looking for new energy-efficient equipment and solutions, the timing couldn’t be better for the industry 40 AmericAn GAs august/september 2013 to step up its participation. In 2014, for the first time, the IBS will colocate with the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, the premier exposition for the kitchen and bath industry for the past 50 years. This partnership will create Design and Construction week. The IBS and KBIS each will occupy separate halls in Las Vegas Convention Center, with one pass New home construction is on the rise, along with the need providing easy access to for more natural gas appliances. both exhibit areas. One of the big draws of the IBS will be The New American Home, currently being built in the exclusive foothills of the Sky Terrace Housing Development in nearby Henderson, Nev. Cutting-edge energy efficiency and sustainability are hallmarks of this year’s project, and natural gas will play a big role both indoors and outside the home, powering fireplaces, the water heater, and cooking, heating, and cooling systems. The house will also feature a vehicle fueling station in the garage. AGA is among the project’s sponsors. Last year, about 50,000 home builders, remodelers, architects, developers, building material dealers, and distributors from across the country attended the IBS. This year, with the addition of the KBIS, as many as 70,000 people are expected to attend the two shows. Natural gas offers a cost-effective, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly way to meet home buyers’ heating, cooling, cooking, and other energy needs. Join us in February at IBS, and help spread the word with the nation’s top builders, developers, and designers. u Tracy Burleson is AGA’s director, communications.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - August/September 2013

American Gas - August/September 2013
Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Dual-Fuel CNG Beauties
Digest
Issues
Issues
Issues
Need to Know
By the Numbers
Places
In Las Vegas, Another Man-Made Wonder
State House
State House
Elm Street
Main Street
A Matter of Trust
Profile
Here Comes the Grid
Marketing
Jobs
Vendor News
Marketplace
Headway

American Gas - August/September 2013

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