Wisconsin Trend Home Showcases Sustainability of a 2020 Home

MILWAUKEE, WI--(Marketwire - August 13, 2008) - A product donation from the Unitary Products division of Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) will contribute to the overall energy-efficiency goals of the new Wisconsin Trend Home, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The 2,000-square-foot environmentally friendly home showcases sustainable technologies that will be prevalent in homes in the year 2020.

The Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA) Foundation, with assistance from members of the Metropolitan Builders Association (MBA) of Greater Milwaukee, built the Wisconsin Trend Home to illustrate to both the construction industry and the public that the ideas and environmentally sensitive technologies featured in the home can be incorporated into new and existing homes today. The MBA also plans to document energy usage and other aspects of the building and use this documentation in the association's educational programming.

In an effort to conserve energy and minimize energy costs to the homeowner, the Wisconsin Trend Home was constructed using Structured Insulated Panels, a tempered passive solar orientation, solar electrical generation, solar hot water heating, ENERGY STAR® appliances, computer operated mechanicals and special windows.

Dave Jones Heating and Plumbing, of Madison, WI, generously donated time and labor to install a state-of-the-art hybrid heating and air-conditioning system: a fully-modulating York® Affinity™ modulating gas furnace from Johnson Controls is matched with a 15 SEER two-stage heat pump. Energy is conserved with the 95 percent efficient gas furnace, and the heat pump exceeds the federal government's ENERGY STAR standards. All of these innovative products will help reduce homeowner energy costs by as much as 40 percent.

Water conservation technologies include permeable pavement that allows rain and melting snow to seep through and replenish ground water. What's more, the home is the first residential application in the state of Wisconsin for a gray water reuse system. Estimated to save 12,000 gallons of water a year in this home, the gray water system collects and filters shower water for reuse in the home's toilets. Meanwhile, a rainwater catchment system will collect and store an estimated 43,000 gallons of water a year from the home's roof and reuse it for landscape irrigation.

Faux-slate shingles made from recycled baby diapers, tires and plastic bottles, bamboo floors, engineered wood and a host of other innovative products and technologies make the Wisconsin Trend Home a one-of-a-kind structure in the state of Wisconsin. The home provides an opportunity for the public and builders throughout the state to view firsthand the components in the home and gain a better understanding of the benefits they provide, both in terms of their environmental impact and the savings associated with them.

La Casa De Esperanza, WBA Foundation to Benefit from Home's Sale

In addition to the educational aspect of the home, there is also a charitable aspect. The home will eventually be sold to a private homeowner, with proceeds providing a $200,000 grant to Waukesha's La Casa De Esperanza to help train low-income workers in the construction industry. The remaining funds will go to the WBA Foundation to assist with job training in the specialty trades.

Tim O'Brien Homes coordinated construction of The Wisconsin Trend Home, which has earned Green Built Home certification and Wisconsin Energy Star Home certification. The project involved more than 120 sponsors and donors. Signage referencing the products and services will be on display throughout the home.

A grand opening celebration will be held on Saturday, Aug. 16, beginning at 11 a.m. The home will be open to the public on successive weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., through Sept. 14.

York® products from Johnson Controls, Inc. include energy-efficient, residential central air-conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces and accessories and innovative light-commercial, packaged heating and cooling systems marketed through a national distribution network and delivered to home- and building-owners through qualified York heating and cooling dealers. For more information about York, visit: www.yorkupg.com or call 877-453-YORK.

Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/.

QUOTES

Mayor Larry Nelson, Waukesha, WI

"Since Waukesha is already a leader in water conservation, and in energy efficiency with our partnership with Johnson Controls, we are excited that the cutting edge Wisconsin Trend Home -- with its incredible sustainable features -- is located in our beautiful Waukesha Rolling Ridge subdivision. I hope people from all over will come for the free tours to see how the green home of the future could be part of their home today."

Chellee Siewert, Executive Director, Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee

"By entering into this partnership with the Wisconsin Builders Association, the Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee is excited to play a role in the grand opening of this one-of-a-kind structure. We have successfully combined an educational opportunity with a charitable cause and created a home which looks to the future with its green building products and technologies, but also fits into the contemporary home market by illustrating that all of these technologies can be incorporated into a new or existing home today."

Tim O'Brien, president, Tim O'Brien Homes, Inc.

"The Wisconsin Trend Home showcases the latest advances in residential construction, pulling together a wide array of resources, many of which are from the state of Wisconsin, and providing a philanthropic tie-in at the same time. We carefully selected the products and technologies that are included in the home, limiting our selections to those which offer the best opportunity to improve energy efficiency, conserve natural resources and minimize their impact on the environment while ensuring a safe, comfortable and affordable home."

Andy Armstrong, director of marketing, Unitary Products Division, Johnson Controls

"Johnson Controls, through its York Midwest Division and Dave Jones Plumbing & Heating, is proud to be part of this Wisconsin-based project that incorporates the most innovative technologies in the market today into a home that supports green building initiatives and sustainable environments. The York products that were selected for The Wisconsin Trend Home, including the York Affinity™ 95 percent modulating gas furnace and the 15 SEER heat pump, provide a total comfort system that offers modulating heating and cooling, balanced humidity and quiet operation while ensuring improved energy efficiency and reduced energy costs."

Greg Jones, general manager, Dave Jones Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

"We signed on to The Wisconsin Trend Home project, because we recognized the opportunity it presented for us to be part of an important teaching tool, for builders as well as homeowners. The York modulating gas furnace and heat pump that we installed clearly demonstrate the impact that innovative technology can have upon a home, both in terms of the comfort level it creates and the savings it offers. And in a time when homeowners are concerned about rising energy costs and the impact their lifestyle has upon the environment, it feels good to be able to offer a solution that meets their needs in an environmentally friendly way."

Contact Information: CONTACT: Katie Stafford (717) 393-3831 ext. 159 Darryll Fortune (414) 524-7770