DeNova Homes recently announced the future opening of the new contemporary community of Edgewater at River Islands in Lathrop, CA, offering all new homes with solar as standard, in a partnership with PetersenDean Roofing & Solar and Canadian Solar.
While many new home communities offer solar as an option, Edgewater at River Islands is one of the few that offer solar as a standard feature. The community, which includes a variety of other eco-friendly attributes, has 92 lots that provide 1.5 kW Canadian Solar Standard on every home backed by a 25-year warranty. Buyers will have the option to upgrade to 3.0kW or 6.0kW, depending on plans, elevations, orientations and available roof space.
Federal tax credits totaling about $2,500 are also available for most homeowners with solar roofing. Additionally, estimated five-year savings can total up to $10,296.
With four floor plans ranging from approximately 1,841 to 2,568 square feet of living space and solar as standard on every home, Edgewater at River Islands also includes an extensive program of options such as exterior loggias with fireplaces and barbeques and premium lots on the water with docks. Other eco-friendly features are tankless water heaters; radiant barrier; cool roof colors; one-coat stucco; 14 SEER air conditioning; energy-efficient appliances; select recycled framing material and more.
“Solar is clean energy and we are striving to build an eco-friendly home as much as feasible. It’s also a great way to reduce utility cost for our homeowners,” said Ryan Parlett, President of DeNova Homes, Inc.
“We fully support DeNova Homes’ strategy of making solar a standard feature in this new community,” said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar. “Homeowners will immediately benefit from reduced energy bills and the environment will benefit from the proliferation of clean, renewable energy. We hope to see other developers adopt this win-win strategy, which greatly improves the ease of ownership for homeowners,”
As the price of solar technology continues to drop, more builders and developers are offering solar as standard and experts expect the trend to continue, added Jim Petersen, founder of PetersenDean.
“As solar panel costs continue to fall, more and more builders like DeNova Homes are offering solar as a standard feature. Consumers are asking for it and building codes are requiring energy efficiency and renewable energy products for new construction,” said Petersen. “Solar power is a logical technology and is becoming so affordable that paybacks can be as low as three years. After that the homeowner owns the power. As they say, ‘it’s the new granite countertop’ and people love their granite countertops. But a granite counter can’t pay your electricity bills, solar panels can.”