McStain Neighborhoods, a Colorado-based homebuilder with communities throughout metro Denver and Northern Colorado, will build the largest solar neighborhood in Colorado - a total of 42 solar-powered homes - at Bradburn Village in Westminster.
The solar electric homes will be available in three two-story home plans ranging from 2,446 to 2,842 square feet, featuring three to four bedrooms, two and a half to three and a half bathrooms and two car garages. All 42 homes will come standard with solar electric power, with prices starting in the upper $400's. Homes will be available for sale this spring.
"This is a great opportunity to bring an innovative product to a smart-growth community," said Eric Wittenberg,president and CEO of McStain Neighborhoods. "These homes will combine all of the energy efficiency and cost-saving benefits of a solar home with an architectural style that complements Bradburn's traditional neighborhood feel."
The McStain homes in BradburnVillage, which are being installed by Namaste Solar Electric of Boulder, will interface seamlessly with the electricity grid. In a given day, the electric meter will spin backward and forward as part of
net-metering, which allows homeowners to reduce their electric bill to a
net-zero on a monthly or annual basis-with an overall utility cost reduction of up to 50 percent. In addition to the economic benefits to homeowners, each of the 42 McStain homes will offset four tons of soot and smog pollution each year for the next 30 to 40 years.
"McStain is leading the way for residential developers, initiating the largest solar neighborhood in Colorado to-date," says Blake Jones, president of Namaste Solar Electric, as he describes Colorado's new energy economy. "Lawmakers showed support for economic development and renewable energy in March with the passage of HB 1281, which doubles Colorado's renewable portfolio standards to 20 percent by 2020. In addition to boosting local economies, this initiative will reduce soot smog pollution by 11 percent."
BradburnVillage is located in Westminster off 120 th between Federal and Sheridan. Developed by Continuum Partners, the 125-acre neighborhood was created around a pedestrian-friendly village with many amenities, including shops, restaurants, offices, and individual homes, town homes, live/work lofts and row apartment homes.
Community amenities include nine community parks, two recreation centers with pools, tennis and meeting facilities, AdamsCounty schools, 45 miles of trails and a short drive to Denver, Boulder, DenverInternationalAirport and Flatiron Crossing.
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 also the only homebuilder that's been invited to build in all of Denver's premier redevelopment projects: Lowry, Stapleton, Belmar and PlattPark.
For more information about McStain, call (303) 494-5900 or visit
www.mcstain.com.
About Namaste Solar
Namaste Solar is a values-based, 100 percentemployee-owned solar electric company dedicated to the betterment of the planet by bringing clean, reliable and affordable renewable energy technologies to the homes and businesses in communities it serves. Namaste Solar measures profit and success in a holistic way that includes not just traditional economic metrics (i.e. earningsand growth) but also the effects on the natural environment, work environment and local/global communities. They recently won the Eco-Cycle 3rd Annual Zero Waste Business Award in the category of Outstanding Recycling Program - Small Business 2006.
For more information about Namaste Solar, please call (303) 447-0300 or visit
www.namastesolar.com.