Builders Committed To New Energy Efficient Homes
“Research continues to show that prospective buyers are eco-conscious and truly embrace energy efficient products even in this current economic climate,” said Bill Burgess of Lennar Homes, one of the nation’s largest energy efficient home builders. “Now more than ever prospective buyers are even more concerned with escalating costs and Lennar’s PowerSmartSM Homes make going green available at no additional cost or higher home price point to the buyer. PowerSmartSM provides the opportunity to live in a certified green home that is not just better for the environment, but a better home that can actually save a buyer money through energy saving features that can add up to quite a lot over time.” Lennar isn’t the only builder who is investing in energy efficient houses, however.
This month, Miami-based Lennar announced its plans to offer the PowerSmartSM Home, which is a new energy efficient home specially designed to cut energy consumption by 40% by using energy efficient lighting, appliances, windows, heating and cooling systems. The homes come fully certified by the Department of Energy and with government Energy Star labels at no additional cost to consumers for the built-in upgrades. “Prospective buyers are eco-conscious and truly embrace energy-efficient products even in this current economic climate,” said Bill Burgess, president of Lennar Minnesota. These cost efficient homes are expected to be unveiled in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Large builders aren’t the only ones investing in building homes that are energy efficient. TMS Architects and Bruss Construction are two small New Hampshire companies that are offering customizable house packages that include three different tiers of home energy savings and more than 400 choices that range from landscaping, solar energy, water power, Energy Star appliances, lighting, plumbing fixtures and LEED certification. The homes range from 1,600 square feet to 2,800 square feet and $300,000 to $600,000. This smaller size wastes no space, developers say, and includes high-quality amenities in the kitchens and bathrooms. “Materials are built to last and if you look at it financially, owners will save $8,400 a year in heating and electricity costs,” said Robert Carty of TMS Architects. James Bruss, owner of Bruss Construction, added, “This is the right product for the right time.”
Consumers have spoken. The energy efficient home is what they want. They’ve made it clear they want to invest in technology that will make their power bills go down and reduce their independence on utility companies. Buyers realize that it’s economical to buy a home that’s already well-stocked with these energy efficient features, rather than retrofit them later and builders see that there are distinct benefits to building this way too. Whether it’s a government rebate or a faster sell time, there’s money to be made with green homes.