Owens Corning Installs Largest SolarWall(R) System of 2008

TORONTO, May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), a world leader in building materials and glass fiber reinforcements, today announced that it has installed North America's largest* SolarWall(R) system of 2008 at the company's Toronto area insulation manufacturing facility. The use of the SolarWall(R) technology demonstrates the company's commitment to sustainability and renewable energy, and Owens Corning's strong sense of environmental stewardship.

The SolarWall(R) technology is a solar air heating system that uses the sun's energy to heat ventilation air for commercial and industrial buildings. It substantially reduces traditional heating fuel expenses and CO2 emissions, requires no maintenance and lasts more than 30 years. The SolarWall(R) technology was invented by Conserval Engineering, which commercialized solar air heating around the world for the commercial and industrial sector. The SolarWall(R) technology has been used on thousands of projects to date in 30 countries.

The SolarWall(R) system at Owens Corning's Toronto facility is 11,000 ft(2) and is estimated to produce over 8,000 million BTUs (2350 MWh) of thermal energy per year. Conserval Engineering designed a turnkey energy solution for Owens Corning that targets one of the most problematic energy requirements in the facility - ventilation heating.

"Owens Corning is wholly dedicated to operating as a sustainable and environmentally friendly company," said Frank O'Brien-Bernini, chief sustainability officer of Owens Corning. "The use of solar energy in Toronto is one of many ways that Owens Corning is reducing its environmental footprint to leave a healthy and vibrant world to future generations."

The Owens Corning SolarWall(R) system will displace more than 630 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. This means that during the 30-year life of the system and the building, Owens Corning will have displaced at least 19,000 tons of CO2 as a result of this one initiative.**

"In a time when a lot of companies are talking green, Owens Corning is walking green," says Duncan Coutts, VP of Worldwide Sales at Conserval Engineering. "We are impressed by Owens Corning's sustainability efforts and look forward to working with them to achieve their environmental goals."