Pardee Homes goes steps beyond usual energy-saving options
Source: The San Diego Union - Tribune Nov 4, 2001; Roger M. Showley

Pardee Homes will become the second home builder in the county to offer solar-power panels in its new houses starting next year. But in following Shea Homes' lead, Pardee has come up with a new twist. Instead of putting photovoltaic cells on roofs, Pardee will offer buyers the option of using them to cover a patio deck where they can provide shade as well as catch the sun's rays and turn them into electricity.

Company officials unveiled their energy plans before the San Diego City Council's rules committee last month and tied them into a broader effort
to build healthier, environmentally oriented homes. "We want to show we can still have good design," Pardee vice president Joyce Mason told Mayor Dick Murphy and the rest of the committee. "We don't have to sacrifice good design to have `green' buildings."

Pardee's "Living Smart" program is being tested at a 97-home project called Santa Barbara at the east end of Del Mar Heights Road in the
2,100-acre Pacific Highlands master-planned community. San Diego voters approved Pacific Highlands in November 1998 with certain conditions worked out by representatives of various environmental groups.

On the energy side, buyers will be offered a 2.4-kilowatt solar system, built by AstroPower, the same company Shea is using on its project in
Scripps Highlands. A battery backup system would be included.

According to the San Diego Regional Energy Office, a 2.4kw system would produce about 300 kilowatt-hours of energy per month and SDG&E
says the typical residential customer in San Diego County uses about 500 kilowatt-hours per month. Pardee's Santa Barbara homes are roughly
twice the size of the average home in the county but energy consumption depends on individual consumer habits.

Unlike Shea, Pardee will not offer solar water heating systems. Instead a tankless water-heating system will eliminate the need to heat 50 gallons
in a water tank when only a fraction is needed at a time.

Other options in the "EnergySmart" program include highly efficient appliances and fluorescent lighting. If all options are used, Mason said, homeowners could reduce energy use by up to 78 percent. One of the models, due to open in January, will be outfitted with all the energy-conserving features and buyers will be able to pick and choose which they want. Included on all homes will be spectrally selective glass to block ultraviolet light and excessive heat; sealed ducts to prevent leakage of heated and cooled air; high-efficiency air conditioners; and third- party inspection to make sure installation meets industry standards. Santa Barbara's "EarthSmart" features, aiming at saving the environment, will include blown-in cellulose insulation; fiberglass entry doors; carpet made from recycled soft-drink bottles; water- saving appliances; and grass parkways and paver driveway inserts. Murphy quipped that in a house with the special carpet, "It's like walking on glass."

"HealthSmart" options include low-fiber flooring, central vacuums, high-efficiency air filters and low-VOC paint -- paint with less than the usual amount of volatile organic compounds.

Carolyn Chase, editor of San Diego Earth Times who helped specify which conservation measures Pardee should take in Pacific Highlands
Ranch, praised the company for its comprehensive approach. "People with a good idea can really make a difference," she said.

Mason said the Santa Barbara homes will range from 3,450 to 3,900 square feet. The prices have not been set but she said they are likely to
average $500,000 or more. The option prices have not been established.

After reviewing Pardee's program, the rules committee heard proposals from Clairemont resident Holly Duncan and the city's Tree Advisory Board to protect trees from unnecessary removal and to promote more planting through an urban forestry program. Duncan noted that trees help reduce overall heat in a neighborhood and thereby reduce the need for air conditioning and energy use. The committee asked the city manager and the city's energy programs overseer to evaluate the suggestions and return with a plan for implementing them. Murphy called the tree board's 10-point plan "particularly useful" and said he would like to see it "aggressively pursued."