June 22nd, 2008 by Michael Oliver

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There is always a lot of talk regarding who builds the most energy efficient home in Tucson. My personal belief is that there is no difference among builders, with the exception of John Wesley Miller. A John Wesley Miller house is constructed for the sole purpose of being energy efficient. In fact, a recent home that he built in Amory Park is a “Net Zero Energy” house, which means it is completely self-sufficient in terms of energy. He built this particular house to demonstrate what’s possible in today’s world, although it’s not a home that everyone would be comfortable with. His other homes all incorporate energy efficiency ideas, like solar panels for electricity generation, super-insulated walls and ceilings, and the inclusion of many recycled materials to limit the amount of new resources required to construct a home. A John Wesley Miller home is extremely expensive. Small 1500 square foot homes begin at $500k. There’s no limit on the high end because he is a smaller custom builder and the sky is the limit. But if your goal is to have an ideal energy efficient home for your family and price is no object, a John Wesley Miller home is the peak of energy efficiency here in Tucson AZ.

So, which company builds the most efficient homes for under $500k?

Well, for under $500,000 in Tucson Arizona, you have many options. Homes by most local production builders (AF Sterling, Canoa, Pepper Viner, Insight) and all large homebuilders (Pulte, KB Home, Richmond American, DR Horton, Meritage, Maracay, Lennar) start, on average, under $200k. About the only builder whose homes cannot be purchased for under $500k is Toll Brothers; their homes start around the $600k’s.

First off, I would suggest finding a builder that uses a 2×6 for wall construction vs. a 2×4. Those builders include Pepper Viner, AF Sterling, and Canoa. The reason is simple. The thicker the wall, the more insulation that can be stuffed into it. Typically, a 2×6 wall (2 inches thicker then its 2×4 cousin) has an “R” value (the rating that measures insulation properties) approximately 4-6 higher. A 2×6 wall will, when properly insulated, have an “R” rating of R-22 to R-24 vs. a 2×4 that carries the typical R-19 (or sometimes R-17, depending upon insulation techniques used). So, all other things being equal, a 2×6 constructed home has a small advantage.

For the most part, homes built by local Tucson homebuilders are going to beat out the national builders because they put higher end packages in the home, meaning both higher end finishes and higher end equipment. Of course, these homes will also be more expensive. The basic price usually includes higher insulation levels not only in the walls but also in the ceiling. The air conditioner will have a higher SEER rating. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. The greater the efficiency of the unit, the higher the number and the higher the cost. A 10 SEER air conditioner is only 50% as efficient as a 15 SEER. Currently the federal minimum SEER rating currently is 13. Most local builders will give their buyers a SEER 14, which can be upgraded at buyer’s cost. (Or if you know how to negotiate, sometimes it can be thrown in with the sale.) The national builders in about every neighborhood I have ever been involved with only give you a SEER 13 A/C. So, just in terms of pure efficiency, the local builders will give you a better overall package.

OK, so now that I have hyped up the local builders, here is where I go back to saying it is really a moot point. Why? Well, for the most part, the local builders charge a considerable amount more for the same square footage as a national builder. A price difference of 5%-10% is common. Once this price difference is calculated, a buyer could purchase the national builder’s home for less money and make the upgrades needed to bring their home up to the local builder’s standard. But how would you, as a buyer, know what to do and what not to do? Well, that’s simple. You most likely wouldn’t know. So, here are my recommendations, given Tucson AZ’s nearly year round heat.

· Make sure you’re getting high end Low-E windows throughout the house.

· Upgrade the A/C as high as you can go (this is normally a 14-16 SEER).

· Upgrade your appliances to Energy Star rated appliances (it does make a significant difference).

· Try to find a builder that offers a solar water heater. This saves a ton on energy costs. Who really wants to pay to keep a big bucket of water hot 24/7/365? Let the sun do it for you for free once you get the set-up.

· Spend $50-$75 to upgrade to a 7 day programmable thermostat. That little $75 dollar upgrade will save you more than you imagine if you use it correctly.

If you are not going to live in your new home for more than 5 years, then all this energy efficiency is most likely not going to save you a whole lot. (However, it may help save the environment, so it’s still a good idea.) But if you are going to be living in your new home for more than 5 years, I personally think all these energy efficiency upgrades will, in most situations, pay for themselves and then some, especially looking out over a 10-20 year timeframe.