Clarum Homes’ new Danville, California community has been presented with a LEED Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the builder’s ten zero energy homes at Hansen Lane community, designed with guidance from Davis Energy Group. These homes are outfitted with Sharp solar power systems between 3.8 – 5kWs.
LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
In addition to the Sharp solar arrays, the Clarum homes incorporate many energy efficient techniques and technologies – making Hansen Lane Estates the first Zero Energy Homes (ZEH) community and the first enrolled in the LEED for Homes program in Contra Costa County. The most progressive features of the homes include the combination of solar power and solar thermal, 10-inch SIPS walls and an advanced ventilation system.
"By deploying solar and incorporating other energy efficiency features into these homes, we're enabling our homeowners to save up to ninety percent or more on their utility bills,” said John Suppes, president of Clarum Homes. “The deployment of Sharp’s quality solar power systems on these homes helped us attain this achievement; we intend to further our mission of sustainable design and green building in all future communities we develop."
“In today’s tough real estate market, the one niche that is bucking the trend is sustainably built housing. There is no higher standard for certifying sustainability than LEED for Homes.
We are proud to be a part of Clarum’s Hansen Lane Estates project because it not only meets the LEED for Homes standard, it qualifies at the Gold level – two tiers above basic certification. These houses are more energy efficient and more comfortable to live in as a result. They represent the wave of the future,” noted Mark Berman, Principal, Davis Energy Group
These LEED Gold certified Clarum homes feature the aesthetically-pleasing, Sharp OnEnergy solar power systems that enable homeowners to generate clean, renewable electricity to meet their energy needs. “We’re very pleased that the use of Sharp solar panels on these Clarum Homes helped our customer realize this prestigious achievement,” said Ron Kenedi, vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group.
Homeowner Daniel Beswick noted, "the comfort of the home is undeniably the best I've ever experienced. Our new home at Hansen Lane is extraordinarily quiet, and exceptionally comfortable. After paying a utility bill of more than $450 per month in the winter and $250 in summer, we have had only a $4.75 connection fee for electricity and about 1/2 the natural gas charge of our previous home. With the federal tax credit, which offsets a third of the cost, the 15 percent state rebate, the 50 percent bonus depreciation and the energy savings– combined with the positive environmental impact – it's a totally win-win situation. Additionally, the solar on our home adds value – but does not add to our property tax bill!”
