New Inlet Beach Subdivision Goes Green - Buys Model Home from the International Builders Show in Orlando, FL

February 1st, 2008 — Walton County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Journal - February 2008 - by Alan Rosenberg

The 1,750 sq. ft. model home at Waterview, a new 48-lot subdivision at Inlet Beach, will feature all the high-end bells and whistles you’d expect at a luxurious seaside location.

But the most exciting part of this modular home is that the electricity to power the house including air-conditioning, lights and appliances, can come courtesy of the sun, according to developer Jeff Tucker, president of the Atlanta-based J. Tucker Development Partners, Inc.

This particular home, designed to be 75 percent more energy efficient than a code-compliance home of a similar size, was featured at the International Builders Show in Orlando in early February before being reassemble on site.

Solar panels that produce enough power to make this a “net zero” house will be an option on all the homes in the subdivision. (When the sun’s shining, excess power is automatically sold back to the grid; at night and on overcast days, the system draws juice from the grid. Over an average year, the electricity “ledger” is expected to balance out.)

The 7.5-acre subdivision at Inlet Beach near the State Park will feature modular houses certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The standards were developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Ranging from 1150 sq. feet to 3,300 sq. ft., the homes were developed by StalwartBuilt homes of Panama City, and will be constructed by Nationwide Homes and Palm Harbor Homes. (The model home was constructed by StalwartBuilt.) At Waterview, the lot with a home and breathtaking ocean view will start at just $399,000. With the cost of solar electric panels coming down in response to worldwide demand and improving technology–and with a 50 percent rebate from the state and federal governments–the additional cost to the homebuyer for the solar option is expected to be about $13,000.

All the homes will employ geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling, a 98 percent allergen-free Honeywell air-cleaner system, ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and low-e windows. Geothermal technology, by extracting energy from the constant temperature of the earth, is a partially-renewable form of energy. (All the homes in the subdivision are also designed to withstand winds up to 140 mph.)

In addition, says Tucker, modular home manufacturing has inherent “green advantages” over constructing a home entirely on-site. High-tech cutting equipment at the plant maximizes the use of lumber while reducing the amount of waste material that routinely ends up in the landfill. And, because the production is centralized, the transportation impacts, including fuel use, are minimized.

“By tapping these new technologies,” says Tucker, “we can not only provide folks with the opportunity to enjoy beachside luxury living at comparatively low prices, we can be environmentally responsible. It’s a win-win.”