The co-location of so many industry trade shows in Vegas this week is a blessing and a curse. In one trip, you can view most new-product debuts for the year. But covering the hundreds of thousands of square feet of exhibit floor space in a few days is a daunting task, even if it makes you a winner in an office fitness-walking contest.

It helps to keep a short list of products and exhibits worth seeing. Design & Construction week, which encompasses the NAHB’s International Builders Show, the Kitchen & Bath Industries Show, and the International Surfaces Event, is an ideal opportunity to step outside your normal network of suppliers and see what other companies are offering.

The venue also offers a rare opportunity to visit most of the major makers of trending new products that are hard to find at retail in your hometown. Minisplit air conditioners, geothermal heat pumps, wireless controls, and home batteries for solar systems fall into that category. Here are some other stops to make on your tour.

Stronger than a locomotive …

New half-inch wallboard from CertainTeed (C2127), which the manufacturer claims is the hardest and strongest on the market, certainly sounds intriguing. CertainTeed says its “Habito” drywall can hold items up to 33 lb. with a single screw. You don’t have to use an anchor or find a stud.

That would make the wallboard ideal for display walls where you hang pictures, mount shelves, or put speakers. A microsite built for the launch shows people attaching four-screw brackets directly to the wall to hold television mounts, shelves, and curtain rods. The wallboard would also work well in spots where doors and knobs bang into walls.

The big question, of course, is how much each sheet weighs and whether one person can carry it. Getting answers to questions like these is what trade shows are for!

Who kept the bears out?

NanaWall (C3843), which used to be synonymous with sliding-door systems, has been feeling the heat as nearly every window company muscles into its territory. The company has taken its marketing to a new level with the introduction of its so-called BEARicade system, which provides security and defense from–what else?–bears.

The campaign raises questions about the reliability and security of less expensive window wall systems on the market, which may not stand up to heavy snow loads, much less bears. The quality of rolling and locking mechanisms in these systems is another subject to cover in booth visits. NanaWall says that in addition to “bear-resistant strength,” its system offers extreme weather resistance for all climates, geographies, and seasons.

Other fenestration companies are bringing to the show new versions of sliding-door systems that are making their way into new homes throughout the country. Weather Shield (C4243), for instance, will be demonstrating a new multi-slide door that accommodates openings as large as 40 ft. by 10 ft. Marvin (C3820) is bringing its Ultimate Multi-Slide door with a low-profile sill and a complementary screen system.

Home batteries: The missing link

Home batteries, which will receive a ton of attention in the popular press this year, are the missing link in the net-zero-home movement. They enable homeowners to store solar energy for a rainy day or buy electricity when it’s cheap and use it when it’s not.

While the market anxiously awaits the first shipment of Tesla lithium-ion batteries, other manufacturers already have horses in the race. Battery packs from JuiceBox Energy (S1134) have been installed in homes from California to New York. The batteries are part of a system that includes a charge control, inverter, and energy-management software.

JuiceBox, which was only founded in 2013, has a network of more than 100 certified installers. It sells an automotive-grade 8.6kwh lithium-ion battery pack with proprietary charge control and energy-management system coupled to a 5.5kw inverter. Cloud-based software monitors and updates the controls.

Tesla is a sister company to Solar City (C5913), which recently debuted some of the most efficient solar panels on the market–slightly more than 22% efficient. The panels are the same size as others on the market, but produce 30% to 40% more power, the company says.

Product info in the palm of a hand

The NAHB helped separate the wheat from the chaff at this year’s show by convening an industry panel to preview new products and pick favorites. One of the products up for a best-in-show award is FreshBrix, an app that could potentially replace the massive folders of product information that home buyers get as a housewarming “gift.”

FreshBrix (S2205) keeps an online database of owner’s manuals, spec sheets, warranty details, and do-it-yourselfer tips. New-home buyers receive a customized app instead of paper files. The service can also help homeowners later connect to contractors who can repair products and systems in their home.

3D printing up a storm

If you’ve never seen what 3D printers can do, this week’s show provides several opportunities to witness the results first-hand. The first stop on this tour would be the American Standard (C6531) booth, where the company will be showing a new line of futuristic metal faucets.

3D printing allows designers to incorporate geometry that wouldn’t work with modern fabrication or manufacturing. Using a selective laser sintering 3D process, American Standard’s designers hid small water channels in the latticework of one faucet, making it seem as if water appears from nowhere. 

In another design, water flows up to the top as it would in a normal faucet but then is separated into 19 distinct waterways near the top. The faucets are only available at a few exclusive kitchen and bath showrooms; they will retail for more than $12,000.

3D printing is being employed to build not just home products but homes as well. Researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (S3125) will be bringing one to IBS. The home, dubbed Amie (for Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy), was built with the world’s largest polymer printer in less than one year for $1 million.

Other 3D-printed homes may not be much to look at or live in. But Amie includes modified atmosphere insulation panels that are seven times more energy efficient than traditional wall insulation; a micro kitchen with a full lineup of appliances; and a photovoltaic system paired with used car batteries. A 3D vehicle shares the same power source as the house.

Where’s the hub?

The shows provide an ideal opportunity to catch up on the latest wireless apps for the home. The challenge for builders and homeowners alike is to figure out what to use as a base system for linking the many new wireless apps coming out each year.

The Nest (S2428) thermostat is a leading candidate. Several manufacturers at this year’s show are talking up their compatibility with Nest. Rheem (C7308) is touting its EcoNet technology that links water heaters, furnaces, and air conditioners with Nest. Ditto for On-Q Intuity, a new home-automation platform from Legrand (C3062).

Nexia (C6531), which is owned by Ingersoll Rand, is playing up its connection to Trane, American Standard, and now Rachio Iro, a smart sprinkler controller that won’t water the lawn when rain is on the way.

Apple won’t be exhibiting at IBS. But its presence will still be felt. The new Apple TV, which retails for only $149, connects to a growing number of HomeKit-enabled products to create a voice-activated home automation system.

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