Pilkington: Self-cleaning glass feedback

"That's why referrals will be a big part of our Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass business early on."

Kent Window has been actively promoting Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass since early January. "The reaction has been very, very good," Ogdahl said. "We've even received calls from as far away as Arizona and Texas."

Gus Stergis, president and owner of Stergis Aluminum & Vinyl Corp., Walpole, Mass., had Pilkington Activ™ Glass windows installed on his own house. "My wife called me one day shortly after installation and said it was 'amazing.' We noticed a difference with the Pilkington Activ™ windows within five days," Stergis said.

"Our dealers are going nuts about being able to offer it," he added.

With a revolutionary product like Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass, initial skepticism is to be expected. So, like Stergis, many Pilkington North America customers who offer Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass have installed Pilkington Activ™ Glass windows in their own homes to see for themselves how the glass works.

The president of Vinyl Window Designs, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, Phil Spatafora, is one example. "After just a couple weeks, I could see that it really does work," he said.

B.F. Rich, a vinyl window and door manufacturer in Newark, Del., is another Pilkington Activ™ Glass customer. "As I began promoting the product, I learned there was skepticism in the marketplace," explained Terry Rex, director of marketing for B.F. Rich. "After those first few presentations, I realized that I had to speak from experience, and immediately put Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass into my own home.

Rex had a Pilkington Activ™ Glass window installed next to an existing window. After a few weeks of exposure to airborne road dirt, pollens and other debris, Rex tested both windows by rinsing them with water from a garden hose.

"I then went into my home and watched through the glass to see this product work," Rex said. "I was impressed! The existing replacement window had beaded droplets of water across the surface while the water on the Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass window sheeted across the surface. I watched as the sheeted water began flowing downward across the surface of the glass and carried the dirt with it.

"After several minutes the glass was dry and clean. The existing replacement window dried with water spots and was no cleaner then before I rinsed it from outside. Pilkington Activ Glass product works!"

Since late last summer, in addition to these homes, Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass has installed in numerous homes in California, Ohio, Michigan, along the East Coast, and in Canada. Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass is available virtually anywhere in Canada, and in most the United States.

A current list of direct Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass customers (those who buy the glass directly from Pilkington) is posted in the North America section of the www.activglass.com Web site. The company is in the process of adding a list of dealers and distributors who also offer Pilkington Activ™ Glass.