| Green’
homes grow: Solar-powered complex shines in Watsonville
source: Donna Jones Santa Cruz Sentinel 2003.8.29
When Rafael and Silvia Diaz went looking for a new home to house their growing family, location was uppermost in their minds, and they liked the view of the mountains from the new development going up on East Lake Avenue. Robin Murray and husband, Sean, a California Department of Forestry firefighter, feel lucky to have won a below-market housing lottery that will allow them and 16-month-old daughter Mikaela to move into their first home in about a month. But both couples say they got a bonus when they discovered their new homes are part of the nation’s largest zero-energy development — a fact that was celebrated by city, state and federal officials Thursday. "You never expect to have a new house for a first home," Robin Murray said. "And then to have on top of that a home so technologically superior is pretty exciting." The Diazes, who will move into their new home today, agree. "It was a really good decision (to buy in Vista Montaña)," said Rafael Diaz, who drives a truck for Speed of Light Towing. "PG&E is going to be buying power from us." John Suppes, vice president of Clarum Homes, the builder of Vista Montaña, said people tend to buy homes based on location and look, not energy efficiency, but his company is out to change that. While other builders may offer solar panels or energy conserving appliances as an option, at Vista Montana, every home is "green" home. All 257 single-family dwellings and town houses come standard with an array of environmentally friendly features, including electricity-generating solar panels on the roof, sustainable building materials such as bamboo and cork flooring, special insulation and gas-bill busting tankless water heaters. "We’re looking more globally, for the long term," he said. "In the next 10 years, everyone is going to the renewables. We’d like to be a leader in that." That leadership role is what drew officials from state and federal energy departments to Vista Montana’s grand opening Thursday. "This is the largest housing development in the nation with homes designed to use almost no electricity," said Mark Ginsberg, who sits on the board of directors of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy project of the U.S. Department of Energy. "In the future, people will look back and say ‘subdivisions like this started in Watsonville.’" Home builders are a conservative bunch, he said. As long as they are selling homes like the ones they’ve always built, they are unlikely to take risks with new technologies. That’s where companies like Clarum can make a difference. "We hope all home builders will look at the lessons learned here," Ginsberg said. Suppes said builders worry that they’ll have to eat the added expense of the green features, which drove up constructions costs of the Vista Montana homes about $20,000 each. But he believes the cost can be passed on to consumers. Education will convince them that the extra expense is worthwhile. He estimated the systems on the Vista Montana homes will pay for themselves in seven years. For Marcia Franich, visiting the model homes Thursday and watching others rise from the ground nearby, the moment was bittersweet. She recalled when the her grandparents and uncle farmed apples on the 72 acres that comprise housing development, the adjacent Martin John Franich Park and nearby Ann Soldo Elementary School. She would have like to see the apple trees still in bloom, but she’s pleased the development will serve the community. "I hope it succeeds and provides needed homes," she said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vista Montana FEATURES: Three- to five-bedroom homes, eight floor plans, double-car garages. WHEN: Models and sales offices open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. WHERE: Off East Lake Avenue in Watsonville. COST: Prices range from $379,000-$499,000. INFORMATION: 763-9484. Vista Montana http://www.clarum.com ------------------------------------------------------------- Press Release CLARUM OPENS CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST ZERO ENERGY HOME COMMUNITY Enviro-Home™ at Vista Montaña is Designed to Reduce Homeowner Energy Bills by up to 90% PALO ALTO, CA - August 28, 2003 - Clarum Homes announced today that it is opening California's largest Zero Energy Home community. Every home in the builder's Vista Montaña community in Wastonville, CA is an Enviro-Home™, Clarum's state-of-the-art energy-efficient and environmentally friendly home. The Enviro-Home™ is designed to reduce homeowner energy bills by up to 90%. Clarum Homes has partnered with several program partners in the development of the Enviro-Home™, including AstroPower, Inc. of Newark, DE, with its SunLineTM solar electric home power systems, Rinnai Corporation, with its Continuum tankless water heating system, and ConSol of Stockton, CA, through its ComfortWiseSM energy-efficiency program. Featuring the Zero Energy Home designation from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), each Enviro-Home™ has been professionally designed, certified, and inspected to reduce energy consumption and use sustainable resources while improving comfort. Each Enviro-Home™ in the Vista Montaña community features an AstroPower solar electric home power system, a Rinnai tankless on-demand water heater, and a high-efficiency furnace as standard features. The homes also feature a foam-wrapped building envelope, increased insulation, radiant roof barrier, advanced HVAC technology, tightly sealed ducts, and low-E energy-efficient windows. Ceiling fans, fluorescent light bulbs, water conserving plumbing fixtures, and water conserving landscaping are also incorporated, providing homeowners further utility savings. "The Enviro-Home™ features that are included as standard equipment will provide more than $20,000 of added value to homebuyers at no cost," says John Suppes, Vice President of Clarum. "The Zero Energy Home is no longer a concept. It is a reality today thanks to the collaboration of several partners. With a combined goal of bringing the value of solar electric power, green-building products, and energy efficiency to homeowners, Clarum, AstroPower, and ConSol designed and built a home that will serve as a benchmark within the community - and within the industry." AstroPower's solar electric power system enables homeowners to generate their own electricity, reduce their utility bills, and protect the environment. The systems range in size from 1.2 to 2.4 kilowatts, and are available for upgrade should homeowners wish to generate even more electricity. In addition to its energy-efficient features, the Enviro-Home™ incorporates sustainable building materials, such as engineered lumber, recycled decking material, fiberglass doors, and offers recycled content carpet, bamboo flooring, cork flooring, environmentally friendly paint as optional items. The Enviro-Home™ has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® seal, ConSol's ComfortWiseSM designation, and the California Building Industry Institute's California Green Builder certification. These are all in addition to the Zero Energy Home designation from NREL. Vista Montaña is located in Watsonville at East Lake Avenue and Bridge Street. When completed, the community will consist of 177 single-family homes, 80 townhomes, 132 apartments, a 14-acre City park and the Ann Soldo Elementary School. Prices range from $379,000-$499,000. Homebuyers who are interested in learning more about the Vista Montaña community should call the Sales Center at 831-763-9484. The Sales Center and decorated model homes are open Thursday - Monday from 11am-5pm. About Clarum Homes Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Clarum Homes is a family-owned company devoted to building quality and innovative communities. Clarum constantly seeks the newest and the best building materials and products to accommodate homebuyers' changing tastes and desires and is always in touch with customers in an effort to further enhance its homes and services. Clarum Homes was the first builder in Northern California to provide solar electric systems as standard equipment in their homes and they are now taking the concepts of green building to a new level with the introduction of zero energy and environmentally friendly features as standard equipment in all the homes they build. For more information, please visit www.clarum.com. About ConSol ConSol, energy consultants, has been working for builders since 1981 providing a full range of services to improve quality control of energy-related features in new homes. ConSol created ComfortWiseSM from its experiences developing successful resource-management programs and training more than 200 builder companies on quality construction. ConSol is heavily involved in the building industry at the local, state and national levels and won the Energy Star Homes Ally of the Year award in 1997. ConSol is committed to assisting the builder in cost-effectively achieving the highest level of quality. For more information, please visit www.ComfortWise.com. Contact Information: Nicole Gittleson  |
