Builders Offer Green Tract Homes With Nearly Zero Utility Bills

The nation’s leading home builders are rolling out affordable tract homes with solar panels and other features that aim to almost eliminate utility bills, in an effort to gain a competitive edge in the weak housing market. Meritage Homes will sell “net-zero” dwellings in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas beginning on April 22, with nine-panel rooftop solar arrays and a starting price as low as $140,000. Home buyers seeking to reduce utility bills to zero can pay $10,000 for an additional 24 solar panels. Meanwhile, KB Home has made a six-panel rooftop solar array standard in nearly a dozen communities in Southern California, shaving 30 percent off energy costs. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Nate Kredich praises the builders, noting that “shiny granite can only go so far [to lure buyers from low-price foreclosures].” | Read More