Production Builder Offering Zero-Energy Homes in California
Continuing to differentiate itself from other production builders in California and Nevada through the environmental features in its homes, Pardee is now starting to offer its customers Zero Energy Home standards that yield at least a 60% savings in energy costs. “We’re getting greener and greener as we go along,” Joyce Mason, the company’s vice president of marketing, told NAHB’s Green Building Conference in Atlanta last month. All of the roughly 3,000 homes that Pardee builds this year will meet the Department of Energy’s voluntary ENERGY STAR® standards and use about 15% less energy than a standard home in California and 30% less than a home built to federal code, Mason said. The company built its first ENERGY STAR® home in 2001 and the following year decided to make this the lowest standard for all of its homes, Mason said. Pardee found information on what it needed to do in its homes’ mechanical systems, insulation and design to make them greener from ConSol, a residential energy consulting firm in Stockton, Calif. Participating in ConSol’s ComfortWise program, Pardee learned the importance of such energy-saving techniques as installing high-SEER air conditioning in areas of extreme temperatures like Las Vegas, she said. Other ComfortWise production builders in California include Barratt American, Centex, John Laing Homes, KB Home, Lennar Homes, Shea Homes and William Lyons Homes. Pardee then started marketing available features by creating LIVING SMART® options that included ENERGY SMART features that reduce energy consumption; EARTH SMART features that conserve resources or use recycled or sustainable materials; and HEALTH SMART features promoting healthier indoor air and water quality. Individual logos are used to identify these different features throughout the house. The LIVING SMART® approach enables families to combine the features that suit them best. For example, she said, sustainability is supported by “carpet made of recycled soda bottles, but that could be in conflict with someone who is more interested in indoor air quality.” Among features available in Pardee homes: - Spectrally selective low E glass, sealed duct systems and cellulose attic insulation reduce energy loss.
- Fluorescent lighting is 75% more energy efficient than incandescent and lasts 10 times longer. The trick, Mason said, is to find a color temperature that most resembles incandescent.
- Photovoltaic cells are used to harvest sunlight to generate electricity. In cases where there are concerns about roof penetrations, the panels are installed on patio trellises, she said.
- Engineered and certified wood help protect forests.
- Low VOC paint and central vacuum systems are good for the air, and reverse osmosis water treatment systems reduce up to 99% of the impurities found in tap water.
WATER SMART features added to LIVING SMART last year include drought tolerant landscaping, including drought-resistant plants; and water-saving appliances, faucets and fixtures. Multi-programmable irrigation clocks ensure that yards are watered according to their needs, eliminating over-watering. “Water issues are extremely important in our markets,” she noted.
In Pardee’s solar-powered Zero Energy Homes, meters are installed to tell occupants how much energy is being produced and how much is being used, she said. The meters are located in home management centers, which are near the kitchen, where “the kids always do their homework.” For its Evergreen community in Ladera Ranch, Calif., Pardee picked lots that would enable homes to be optimally sighted for passive solar, which is included in 20%-25% of the homes, and the architecture accommodated flat tile roofs. Learning from its experiences at Evergreen, Pardee designed varying roof planes for Soleil at Bordeaux in San Diego, where 98% of the homes could accept solar. The California Energy Commission is a good source of information on solar, Mason said. Pardee last month built the first Zero Energy Home for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on ABC television. The 4,278-square-foot home includes a 3.0 kW roof-integrated solar electric power system and other energy saving features to reduce its monthly electrical demand from 1,080 to 300 kilowatts — a 73% savings. The cost of solar is still the biggest hurdle to market acceptance of Zero Energy Homes, Mason said, but progress is being made in that area. “Buyers won’t come in asking for a LIVING SMART® house,” she said. “But they will choose an environmentally friendly home builder over one that is not.” | 
