Pardee adopts EnergySmart standards

Pardee has announced that new homes in Southern Nevada will be upgraded to the company's new EnergySmart standards that exceed local, state and national codes for energy efficiency, according to Larry Simon, local senior architectural manager.

"Each EnergySmart home is independently certified to assure that it exceeds energy code requirements by at least 15 percent," Simon said. "It's part of Pardee's commitment to build homes for the way people want to live."

Pardee's EnergySmart designation means that each home has been enhanced with money-saving, energy-efficient features that include spectrally selective glass and vinyl-framed windows to keep the home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, in addition to ceiling insulation and sealed ducts for improved indoor air quality, according to Simon.

Most Pardee home buyers also will be able to choose from options such as radiant roof barrier systems to deflect the desert heat, said Simon, who served as chair of the Green Building Partnership working group for the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.

The Green Building Partnership, a joint effort of the SNHBA and the Green Building Initiative, spent more than a year researching and developing the requirements of the voluntary program to direct the efficient use of resources, materials, energy and water; and maximize the indoor environmental quality in new housing.

A pioneer in green building, Pardee Homes was named Production Home Builder of the Year in the 2006 National Green Building Awards program. The National Association of Home Builders sponsors the competition as part of its efforts to promote environmentally responsible and resource-efficient construction methods known as Green Building.

Pardee previously earned the 2004 Green Project of the Year award from the National Green Building Conference, the only national conference targeted to Green Building for the residential building industry.

Pardee was the first regional builder to commit to building only Energy Star homes, and Pardee's LivingSmart program, which encompasses a comprehensive array of green building standards, plus multiple, user-friendly ways for buyers to expand their choices, is offered at select Pardee neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Valley.

LivingSmart showcases earth-friendly, energy-saving living by offering environmentally sensitive features and options in the categories of EarthSmart, EnergySmart, HealthSmart and WaterSmart.

Desert demonstration gardens in Pardee's LivingSmart neighborhoods of Vista Verde and Nevada Trails received first-place honors in 2004 and 2005, respectively, in the Southern Nevada Water Authority landscaping competition.

"Earth-friendly systems and programs in our new homes represent a very important part of our value commitment to new home buyers," said Klif Andrews, Pardee Homes' Southern Nevada division president. "Pardee is resolved to incorporate environmentally sound solutions into new-home production."

Having built homes for more than 35,000 families in Southern Nevada since 1952, Pardee covers the Las Vegas Valley with more than 20 new home neighborhoods -- offering a wide range of products and prices that attract first-time, move-up and luxury buyers.