The Largest Residential Solar Developments in the Country?

Pulte Homes does not see solar power as too expensive. On the contrary, the builder of age-restricted communities is turning to residential solar power in hopes of boosting sales of the company’s manufactured homes in Arizona. On January 1, Pulte began offering homes with integrated solar rooftops in two of its 55-and-over communities.

If all goes to plan, Del Webb’s Sun City Festival in Buckeye and Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch in Florence could become the largest solar residential developments in the country. Between the two communities, there are 11,200 homes yet to be built, so there’s a lot of potential for solar rooftops.

If they take the solar option, homeowners will benefit from a rooftop of integrated SunPower solar panels, with the added prize of relatively low upfront costs. According to Pulte, the solar roofs will cost between $13,000 and $17,000 up front. That price includes a rebate from Arizona Public Service that the builder takes directly and then discounts the sale price for the homeowner. This provides a cheaper route to solar for homeowners who would otherwise be buying aftermarket panels and waiting to reap the rewards of government and utility incentives.

So far, there has been little response to the solar option at Pulte’s two Arizona communities, but the company remains positive. Other communities in other states have been offering solar rooftops for several months and have had a positive response, says Ken Johnson, Pulte’s Southwest-area Vice President of Strategic Marketing. They see a budding solar market among 55-and-older communities as retirees look to leverage their energy costs as electricity prices continue to rise.

Solar roof manufacturer, SunPower, is also offering a real-time energy tracking component that allows homeowners to track their system’s energy output, as well as their home’s energy consumption from moment to moment. Of course, Pulte has also worked to improve the energy efficiency of their homes to complement the solar power option. That work includes more efficient construction methods, Energy Star appliances, efficient heating and cooling systems, blown-in cellulose insulation and energy efficient windows.

Source: AZCentral