Local Clayton Homes offers green living options

Clayton Homes is now offering affordable homes with green features.  Home centers representing products from the Clayton family of brands and serving the Lewes area now offer homes featuring the company’s own Energy Saver Plus package as well as a number of Energy Star-certified homes.

Energy Saver Plus and Energy Star-certified homes are built to perform up to 30 percent more efficiently than comparable homes without the energy-saving option.  The homes feature high-performance windows that block 70 percent of summer heat and retain 70 percent more of winter warmth.  In addition, the homes include compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), which requires 75 percent less energy, gives off 75 percent less heat and lasts up to 10 times longer than traditional light bulbs.

In addition to the benefits of Energy Saver Plus homes, Energy Star-certified homes feature more effective insulation, tightly sealed ductwork and highly efficient heating and cooling equipment that meets efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Building green is not a new feat for Clayton Homes and CMH Manufacturing.  In fact, the company has sold more than 8,800 Energy Star-certified homes since 2006, making it one of America’s leading builders of energy-efficient homes.

“Going green is no longer a wave of the future.  You can have a home built today that will save you money as well as help you conserve energy,” said Bobby Alberts of Clayton Homes.  

In addition to its core offering, the company also sells the i-house, a purpose-built green home with stylish design, cutting-edge color combinations and modern furnishings.  The cost of utilities in an i-house, with the full complement of solar options, is as low as $1 per day.  The i-house concept serves as the muse for new green home models.

“We’re learning as we go when it comes to building green.  There are standards set in place for how environment-friendly a home can be, but there is no instruction booklet on how to build the perfect green home,” said Kevin Clayton, Clayton Homes president and CEO.  “The practices we learn in building these homes are continuously being integrated into our core products.”

Clayton’s headquarters has also been awarded LEED certification, established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute.  The certification was awarded to Clayton because of the company’s efforts in maximizing operational efficiency, while minimizing environmental impact.

According to a report titled, “The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings,” developed for the Sustainable Building Task Force, the total financial benefits of green buildings are more than 10 times the average initial investment required to design and construct a green building.  That same report states that the earlier green features are incorporated into the design process, the lower the cost.  
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