RECENT STORIES

Alliance for School Choice scholarship recipient ( Erik Keith )
Steve Savageau: A true friend to Denver Library ( Celeste Jackson )
Police blotter: Purse stolen during fundraiser ( YourHub.com )
Restaurant review: Cucina Roma Roma ( Stan Dyer )
Pianist Aldo Ragone sensational ( Robin McNeil )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Denver \\ Stories \\ Business \\ Real Estate Deals

New Lowry community to focus on water efficiency

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

Contributed by: Elizabeth Jumel on 5/6/2008

Denver Water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and McStain Neighborhoods are working together to employ environmentally conscious initiatives at McStain's East Park neighborhood in Lowry. Denver Water and the EPA have been developing programs to set standards for water use through individual responsibility and water-efficient products.

The EPA has launched a water-efficiency benchmark study, of which McStain is only one of nine builders in the country to participate. The EPA is also developing the WaterSense program that will designate home products with a seal indicating it uses water efficiently. Denver Water has developed a complimentary program, Tap+Smart, a plan to promote conservation and reduce water use by at least 22 percent.

"McStain is showing leadership not only in Colorado, but across the country," said Peter Mayer of Boulder-based Aquacraft. "Their dedication to building responsibly outweighs all other considerations and has raised the bar in the homebuilding industry with expectations of doing the right thing."

McStain will be cooperating with the Denver Water and EPA studies at EastPark, a new community at Lowry that will showcase the Tap+Smart program currently being rolled out by Denver Water to make a long-term commitment to efficient water use. Tap+Smart will guide government, businesses and citizens to adopt a water conservation culture. This partnership program promotes water efficiency and will help consumers identify water-efficient products and programs through WaterSense designations.

"McStain is the builder participating in the EPA study within the Denver Water service area," notes Greg Fisher, chief planner for Denver Water. "Their homes represent a new approach to smart home building that conscientiously helps to accommodate our growing population and will provide important information on best practices in water efficiency."

There will be approximately 40 homes built at EastPark featuring high-efficiency packages including hot water recycling in the master bathrooms to provide hot water on demand, tankless water heaters, drip irrigation systems; water-efficient faucets, showerheads and toilets, and other features to reduce water use. These features, including those being recommended by Mayer, will save an estimated 28,000 gallons of water per year and create significant financial savings on water and energy bills.

The first 20 homebuyers at EastPark also will receive free water-conserving, energy efficient upgrades to their washers and dryers, thanks to a donation from Whirlpool. Denver Water has contributed to help provide high efficiency toilets and low-flow showerheads for the study. The energy- and water-saving appliances and fixtures will extend additional savings to the owners, as well as be tracked for water use data in the EPA study.

"We look forward to working with Denver Water and the EPA to help establish best practices in water efficiency," said Eric Wittenberg, president and CEO of McStain. "Responsible building is integral to our mission and this is just one more way we can help to develop sustainable practices in Denver's communities."

About McStain Neighborhoods
McStain Neighborhoods is a Colorado-based developer and home builder recognized both regionally and nationally for its environmentally responsible community design and building practices. For more than 40 years, McStain has created neighborhoods of enduring value that connect people to each other and to the natural environment on Colorado's Front Range. McStain Neighborhoods is the only home builder that's been invited to build in all of Denver's premier redevelopment projects: Lowry, Stapleton, Belmar and Platt Park. For more information about McStain, call (303) 494-5900 or visit www.mcstain.com.

About Denver Water
Denver Water is the oldest and largest water utility in Colorado. The agency serves nearly 1.3 million people in Denver and many surrounding suburbs. For more information, visit www.denverwater.org.

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story

Current Rating

Based on 1 user ratings.

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Elizabeth Jumel

Denver , CO

Elizabeth Jumel has posted 1 story and 0 comments since joining on 5/6/2008. Elizabeth Jumel 's average story rating is 5.

view profile » view other postings from Elizabeth Jumel »

SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY

digg	Google
del.icio.us	Yahoo!
reddit	Newsvine

What is this?

STORY RSS FEEDS

All stories

All stories in Denver

All stories by Elizabeth Jumel

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad