Accordingly, Rao remains cautious about housing-related sectors such as furnishings, hardware and building materials.

FORBES: April U.S. Retail Sales Up 8.8% - Highest YOY Growth Since May 2006

Nearly all historic efforts to reduce building energy use have focused on either human factors (change behaviors with tax incentives or regulations) or hardware (use better building materials, improve systems like the cooling and lights, etc.).

FORBES: Magazine Article

The Distribution and Retail Business segment manages home centers and shops that sell tools, hardware, daily necessities, do-it-yourself products, gardening and building materials, and pet supplies.

FORBES: #1,274 Lixil Group