Beazer Homes launches its eSMART program
Beazer Homes is introducing building measures aimed at curbing energy use and lowering ownership costs. As part of its eSMART initiative, the builder is rolling out high-performance homes, all engineered as a whole-house system to achieve more energy efficiency, conserve water and improve indoor air quality.
"Our eSMART high-performances homes are a direct response to the growing consumer demand for more energy- and resource-efficient homes," said Bill June, president of Beazer's Las Vegas Division. "We've incorporated the latest building science practices to increase the performance of our homes. This means lower monthly utility bills, which lowers the overall cost of ownership for our homeowners."
All newly constructed homes in Beazer's 11 Las Vegas Valley neighborhoods include additional air sealing and framing techniques that allow for more insulation per home and include denser insulation within walls and attic spaces as well as energy-efficient, low-e windows, at no additional cost to the consumer. Also included are a home-energy monitor, programmable thermostat, compact fluorescent light bulbs and Energy Star dishwasher.
June cited a National Association of Home Builders' survey conducted last year that placed energy efficiency as the No. 2 priority for homebuyers, behind quality of living space.
To help conserve water, Beazer's eSMART, high-performance homes incorporate regionally appropriate plants and come equipped with water-saving bath faucets and showerheads. To address indoor air quality, paints and carpets that emit lower volatile organize compounds are used and every home includes high-efficiency minimum efficiency reporting value 8 air filters and carbon monoxide detectors.
To measure the performance of its eSMART homes, Beazer turned to the NAHB Research Center, which tested popular models in various climate-specific zones and compared them to similar homes built to the current building code as well as those built to the Building America Benchmark, which represents a typical home built in the mid- to late-1990s.
For climate zone 3, which includes Las Vegas, the study found that, depending on home size, Beazer's eSMART homes can offer an up to 28 percent energy cost savings over comparable houses built 10 to 15 years ago. Additionally, with proper use of the home-energy monitor, Beazer's homeowners can decrease their annual electricity costs from 5 to 15 percent.
For those home buyers who want to accelerate their home's performance level even higher, Beazer also offers option packages that include such features an upgraded home radiant barrier, dual flush toilets and spray foam insulation in the attic and within walls.
For more information on Beazer's homes, communities and eco-friendly features visit Beazer.com.
