High-Performance Housing Project in Milwaukee Drawing Buyers

Wisconsin-based builder Tim O'Brien Homes is striking gold with green as it starts work on the state's first zero energy neighborhood, Red Fox Crossing in New Berlin. 

As of last month, one-third of the homes in the 34-lot development were already pre-sold, only seven months after sales were opened. All of the homes in Red Fox Crossing will be certified under the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program, a well as the Energy Star, WaterSense and Indoor airPLUS programs, according to the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA). The homes are priced in the mid-$500,000 range for this first project, with the expectation of future, more cost-effective projects coming on line. Craig North, Tim O'Brien Homes' vice president of product innovation says, "We see real potential at the lower end of the market. We think rooftop solar would make sense to any value-conscious buyer regardless of demographic or price point."

Solar will work on any lot with a clear view to the Southern or Western sky, but the right land provides those views while also supporting the builder's design goals. To ensure that outcome O'Brien partnered with Neumann Companies, a local land developer. "We found a great piece of land that accommodates a North-South road pattern," says company principal Matt Neumann. That means the homes will face East or West. Wait a minute, don't you need a South-facing front or back elevation for solar? Not necessarily, says Neumann. "Most people prefer not to have solar panels on the front of their home, and with this orientation the builder can put them on a south-facing side elevation."

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