The Dow Chemical Company : Dow Collaborates with Homebuilder to Create Nation's First Residential Test Community for Ground-Breaking Building Science Study

Dow Building Solutions and Cobblestone Homes introduce "real-world" study to demonstrate value of high-performance homes

Science is enabling a new generation of energy efficient solutions for high-performance residential building. Dow Building Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), today announced from the floor of the 2013 International Builders' Show a five-year collaboration with Cobblestone Homes on an energy- efficiency test community comprised of 12 occupied single-family homes in Midland, Mich. As the nation's first active subdivision specifically designed to capture quantitative and qualitative analytical data, this project data will help combat misconceptions and educate builders and homebuyers about the accessibility and affordability of achieving energy-efficient homes.

This industry-leading initiative - called Twelve Energy Efficient Test Homes or "TEETH" - represents another example of Dow's commitment to real-world research that demonstrates the impact of bringing above grade, below grade and air sealing solutions together to cost-effectively achieve high-performing homes.

"For more than 60 years, Dow has worked hand-in-hand with the global building industry to address their evolving needs through our building science expertise," said Jim Morey, residential market manager of Dow Building Solutions. "Most recently, our series of test homes building science projects - including TEETH - is filling a critical information gap in whole-house energy efficiency data. The results will enable builders to make a stronger case to homeowners and potential buyers that high-performance solutions can cost-effectively maximize home value and comfort while lowering homeownership costs."

Grounded in Data

Dow's building science heritage drives a commitment to delivering real-world testing like TEETH to validate the impact and value of energy-efficiency solutions made possible by science. With this validation, Dow seeks to help educate builders on how high-performance homes and retrofit upgrades can deliver cost-effective market differentiation in this competitive marketplace.

The ground-breaking TEETH initiative will generate comparative data on home energy efficiency based on whole-house insulation, air sealing systems and real-world living conditions. This initiative will also provide comprehensive data on energy consumption, humidity, moisture levels, heat flow and temperature.

To ensure the validity of the study, each home was uniformly built to careful standards designed to mitigate variances, including orientation to the sun and grade. The 12 test homes are comparable in size, floor plan and all other key features with the exception of the insulating and air sealing systems.

"Dow's full-envelope of building solutions - above grade, below grade and air sealing - work together to help builders achieve more comfortable, durable, healthy and affordable homes," Morey said. "We strive to make it easier for builders to market and sell high-performance homes that leverage these transformative solutions."

Beyond quantitative data, Dow's test community residents will be surveyed to provide qualitative information about individual comfort and level of satisfaction with each home's living environment. Four different systems are in place, each featuring a different combination of insulation and air sealing improvements, including continuous insulation and closed-cell spray foam insulation. Each home meets or exceeds current building code requirements.

Dow will be onsite at IBS to discuss its collection of energy-efficient homes studies, including TEETH, Vision Zero, Invision Home, Passive House and Revitalize Home. The company will also showcase its broad portfolio of high-performing air, energy and moisture management solutions through hands-on demonstrations focused on above grade, below grade and air sealing solutions.

About Dow Building Solutions

Dow Building Solutions has a 60+ year legacy of providing energy saving solutions to the global commercial and residential construction industry, which began with the launch of its flagship STYROFOAM™ Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation, one of the most recognized brands of insulation in the world. A market-facing business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Building Solutions offers unsurpassed building science expertise to help builders, designers, architects and home/building owners reduce energy costs and protect against wind, rain and moisture, while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. More information about Dow Building Solutions can be found at www.dowbuildingsolutions.com.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.www.dow.com.