Hearth & Home Technologies™ Offers Industry-Leading Green Portfolio of Whole Hearth Systems

Hearth & Home Technologies showcases the industry’s strongest portfolio of environmentally friendly whole hearth systems at the 2008 International Builders’ Show®, Feb. 13 – 16, 2008, in Orlando, Fla., at the Orange County Convention Center. The company offers a full suite of products that promote both energy efficiency and air quality through the use of clean-burning gas, electric and EPA-approved wood-burning fireplaces and stoves under their brands Heat & Glo™, Heatilator®, Quadra-Fire® and Harman brand fireplaces.

“We are proud that green is simply just part of the fabric of Hearth & Home Technologies,” says Tim Rethlake, vice president of Hearth & Home Technologies’ New Construction Sales Growth. “Green is undeniably the new frontier in the building industry, and thanks to leaders like the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) who are making real and sustainable change with forward-thinking professional programs, the industry will soon catch up to homeowners’ demands to live in environments that support the health of people and our planet.” When installing fireplaces in new homes, Hearth & Home Technologies encourages builders to refer to NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.v

Most notable among the company’s green pursuits is its invention of the direct-vent gas fireplace in the mid-1980s by Heat & Glo™, which revolutionized the hearth industry by permitting safe gas fireplace installation virtually anywhere in the home.

Unlike unvented or vent-free gas fireplaces, direct-vent gas models directly expel 100 percent of the fireplace’s combustion exhaust, moisture and odors. Indoor air quality does not have a chance of being compromised because a sealed glass front keeps by-products such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and excess moisture from entering the home. In addition, most of Hearth & Home Technologies’ direct-vent fireplaces operate at 72 percent thermal efficiency.

“It’s gratifying to be an active participant in the sustainable movement by promoting clean technologies like direct-vent and refusing to make or sell hearth systems that continue to cause unhealthy indoor and outdoor air quality or create excess moisture,” adds Rethlake. “The direct-vent technology is now the most popular type of venting among all manufacturers and is acknowledged as the best green innovation for modern fireplaces across the board. Our invention of direct vent fireplaces was recently recognized by the Energy & Environmental Building Association (EEBA) as one of the top 25 technology breakthroughs in residential construction.”

Hearth & Home Technologies’ direct-vent technology helps builders achieve the best building practices prescribed in several national green programs including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® for Homes Rating System, ENERGY STAR’s Indoor Air Package, the American Lung Association’s® Health House® program, and the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.

Hearth & Home Technologies leads the industry with a wide range of environmentally sustainable whole hearth systems. The Hearth & Home Technologies family includes Heatilator®, Heat & Glo™, Quadra-Fire® and Harman brand hearth products and Fireside Hearth & Home™ brand hearth design centers. The company’s environmentally sustainable fireplaces provide energy-efficiency, warmth/comfort and excellent indoor air quality. Hearth & Home Technologies’ environmentally sustainable fireplaces are also manufactured, packaged and delivered with respect for the environment. Hearth & Home Technologies is a subsidiary of HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI), the second largest office furniture manufacturer in the United States.