Lennar to Build Largest Solar Home Development in the U.S.

Lennar recently announced its partnership with Sacramento Municipality Utility District (SMUD) to build over 1,200 energy-efficient solar powered homes in the Sacramento area. The homes will be featured in 11 new communities.

SMUD's contribution to this project will be about $10.9 million in incentives that Lennar will receive the rebates after homes are constructed. Homeowners will come out the winners in this project, since these homes are expected to provide them with at least 60% savings on their electric bills. This is also help reduce pollution in the area, which is always a good thing.

Green building and solar powered homes are starting to catch on more lately, with energy companies sweetening the deal with incentives in the form of rebates to the homebuilders.

Lennar calls its new program Solarplus, which includes not only the solar power as a standard feature, but also includes energy efficient features such as low-E windows, 15 SEER rated central air conditioners, improved insulation and energy efficient lighting.

You'd think that these homes may be out of reach for many homeowners, but some of these projects appear to be surprisingly reasonable. Lennar's new development at Westpark in Roseville, CA features the new Solarplus progam and is priced from the low $500's. Their nearby Fiddyment project is available from the high $500's. OK, so we're not talking Santa Clarita home prices here, but these homes aren't the teeny-tiny cracker boxes that you'd expect at this price point either.

Hopefully these new Lennar Solarplus developments will be successful enough for us to see similar developments in the Santa Clarita area as well. The "Go Solar, California" project by the California Energy Commission, otherwise known as the New Solar Homes Partnership (NSHP), includes agreements with Southern California Edison (SCE) to provide incentives to build solar homes. And of course part of SCE's territory includes the Santa Clarita Valley. This also ties in with the Governor's Million Solar Roofs Plan, where Governor Schwarzenegger has vowed to make it a priority to develop a self-sustaining solar industry for California.

Lennar is the builder for several of the new home developments in the Santa Clarita area, including Valencia West Hills and West Creek, Valencia RiverVillage (River Village) and Camino del Lago in Castaic.

As an Ecobroker, I'm especially concerned about the future of energy efficient and green home building. Owners of existing homes will find that there are many exciting incentive programs to help them go green as well!