Trilogy® and Shea Homes Active Lifestyle® Communities, the award-winning builder of resort communities, and SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY), a leading provider of clean energy, will celebrate Earth Day this year by honoring the first 1,000 SheaXero homeowners who are living in No Electric Bill Homes powered by clean, renewable solar electricity. Shea estimates that the cumulative environmental impact made by the first 1000 SheaXero homeowners across five states over the next 20 years equates to reducing 1.4 billion cubic feet of carbon dioxide (CO2), the equivalent of enough trees to fill New York City’s Central Park 60 times.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the hard work our construction and sales teams have put into the SheaXero program,” said Rick Andreen, president of Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities. “Hearing SheaXero owners tell us how excited they are to save a significant amount of money every month has been the most rewarding part of the program for everyone involved. There’s certainly a lot to celebrate, and we want to share this monumental milestone with current and future SheaXero homeowners.”
SheaXero is a result of a partnership between SolarCity and Trilogy/Shea Homes; in just over a year, SheaXero has reached 1,000 sales in Trilogy communities in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Washington. SheaXero homes produce as much energy as they use through a custom solar power system and 14 energy-efficient features, based on annual consumption for an average family. SheaXero homes are standard in all Trilogy communities across the nation at no additional charge (in Washington, SheaXero is an available feature). In addition to the environmental impact, Shea estimates that the 1,000 SheaXero homeowners are expected to collectively save more than $18,000,000 on their electricity bills over the next two decades.
“SolarCity’s partnership with Shea Homes introduced an innovative new concept in the homebuilding industry with the launch of SheaXero homes. The sale of a 1,000th SheaXero home shows that homeowners like purchasing a new home with a pre-installed solar system that offsets their electricity use on a continual basis,” said Walter Cuculic, national manager of Homebuilder Programs, SolarCity. “Earth Day is a fitting opportunity for us to celebrate the positive environmental effect of the decision made by SheaXero homeowners and encourage others to make the switch to solar.”
Trilogy/Shea Homes and SolarCity are hosting Earth Day events and inviting the public to celebrate these 1,000 SheaXero homeowners with a day of fun and festivities at all locations. All Earth Day events will take place on Saturday, April 20th (see web site for event times by location).
Owners in Shea Active Lifestyle communities in California and Arizona who don’t have a SheaXero home can get a solar system this Earth Day and contribute towards a noble cause. SolarCity and Shea/Trilogy are introducing a Retrofit Program to existing homeowners in these states who are interested in making a switch to solar for their homes and saving on their electricity bills. In honor of Earth Day, SolarCity and Shea Homes will donate $400 on behalf of every new Retrofit customer to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, an international nonprofit charity that is dedicated to planting fruitful trees to alleviate world hunger and improve the environment. SolarCity will also offer a $250 discount on a new solar system to Retrofit customers.