Cheap and Green: Homebuilding Trends [Housing Tracker]

Homebuilding Trends 

Southern Indiana Homebuilders Changing With The Times. “The slumping housing market is affecting how southern Indiana home builders are marketing their homes. The annual Southern Indiana Home Expo which highlighted homes $500,000 and up is now a thing of the past. Now, homebuilders are simply trying to get more homes seen -- many less expensive homes.”  (Wave 3, June 24^th)

New Homes With SunPower Solar Systems are Bright Spot in Market. “SunPower Corporation (SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, announced today that new homes powered with SunPower solar electric power systems are selling more than twice as fast, on average, as new homes without solar. Additionally, a survey of owners of new homes with SunPower systems indicates that 92 percent would recommend a new solar home to a friend.”  (Press Release in CNN Money, June 24^th)

San Francisco Launches Solar Roof Program. “The San Francisco Board of Supervisors [will] launch a citywide incentive program for rooftop photovoltaic power generation. With a $3 million annual budget, the initiative will be the largest municipal solar-power effort in the nation to date… The program aims to add more than 50 megawatts of solar power generation to the city’s energy supply over 10 years, by boosting the number of solar generating stations to at least 10,000 (a more than tenfold increase from the current 770 installations)… The city is reportedly working on plans to put solar panels on the city’s bus-stop shelters—and even on its municipal trash compactors.”  (Builder Online, June 19^th)

Green Acres Project Is State's First Green, Self-Sustaining Housing And Agricultural Community.  California: “The CastleView Estates "Green Acres" project going up along Happy Valley Road has been designated by the state as the first green, self-sustaining housing and agricultural community in California… The lots are being sold for between $650,000-$1 million… In addition to pumping and processing its own water supply, houses being offered to CastleView Estates buyers will be custom-built by Palm Harbor Homes (PHHM), an Energy Star-rated company that constructs homes in a factory then ships them to the lot… Buyers are not required to build with PHHM, but their homes must comply with the LEED silver rating standards.”  (Inside Bay Area, June 19^th) 

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Comments

[LiquidSoapDispenser]

Great, I have a house with solar panels covering the roof, so it is good to know it will help me sell it some day (which I assumed would be the case). What I want to know is, how much of my solar investment will be recouped in the selling price? I read the Sun Power press release and it doesn't mention the pricing aspect (which, admittedly, would be hard to calculate). If houses are selling faster, but aren't selling for amounts that recoups the high costs of the solar panels, then one can see why the free solar benefit would be of interest to buyers.

[Gary Meade]

I am shamelessly going to promote a company which is not followed by any analyst yet. The company just restructured and is now oriented to be a type of utility providing electric power through technically advanced solar solutions. They have solar membranes, architectural glass, and finally solar tiles. They already tried the low cost producer but found the strain on working capital to be too much. Their symbol is OEGY and they do trade on the bb, so buyer be ware. They very recently had a wealthy individual decide to invest 20 million dollars, so hey, maybe they have a chance. They will develop their first solar community this summer. As I say I have owned this long-term play since 2004 at the moment they got out of the oil and gas into alternative energy. Heck, solar was not even hip back then. They may not be profitable this year, but I am suggesting watching them and keep your ears open as this article pointed out...solar communities sure move housing.