The VISION House Las Vegas, at the master-planned community of Cadence in Henderson just outside of Las Vegas, will meet the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) requirements—as will all Beazer homes nationwide by the end of 2025.
“Beazer’s commitment to building energy efficient homes isn’t new,” says Kyle Tibbitts, division president for Beazer Homes in Las Vegas. “We’ve been committed to sustainability for more than a decade. We’re just expanding this to the next level.”
Beazer Homes, an early adopter of the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, has been named as an Energy Star Partner of the Year every year for a decade, consistently earning the top honor of Sustained Excellence.
“Our CEO’s vision is that we don’t do what everyone else does,” Tibbitts says. “We go beyond the code and build quality, durable homes that are less costly to operate because of their construction. We want to be better than every other builder.”
DOE’s ZERH program requires homes to be Energy Star certified and Indoor airPLUS qualified, but it doesn’t stop there. To meet program requirements, each house must have increased energy efficiency, better indoor air quality, water efficiency features and a renewable energy-ready design.
The DOE estimates that homes built to this standard are 40 percent to 50 percent more efficient than a typical new home, according to Tibbitts.
“The Zero Energy Ready program makes sense because it builds on the EPA’s programs,” says Justin Anderson, Las Vegas-based director of operations for Beazer Homes. “It also resonates with the buying public, especially when we can educate people about the reduction in operating costs.”
Some of the steps Beazer takes to achieve Zero Energy Ready certification include:
The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index rating for these homes is anticipated to be in the 30s, according to Beazer. In addition, every house must be ready for homeowners to add solar if they choose.
Beazer chose the Cadence community near Las Vegas to showcase its commitment to building homes to an elevated standard, and because of the high visibility of one of the top-selling master planned communities in the country, Tibbitts notes.
“Cadence has a high profile and it is known for its sustainability, with parks, outdoor trails and synergy within the community,” Tibbitts says. “There are also lots of other builders and new homes there, so it gets plenty of traffic from potential buyers.”
Cadence offers a good platform for buyers to compare homes, says Jayne Bradley, Southern California-based director of marketing for Beazer Homes.
“Cadence has a good reputation, and we expect to see more discerning buyers there who understand the value of sustainable building,” Bradley says. “This is the last Cadence neighborhood to offer detached single-family homes, and it will be among the most energy efficient we build.”
Beazer’s Energy Series articulates the level of performance for all communities nationwide. Those built to the Zero Energy Ready requirements are part of Beazer’s READY series. At Cadence, each of the 61 single-family homesites and an adjacent section of 178 townhome sites will be part of READY.
Beazer’s ethical commitment to sustainability is the main driver for its decision to build all future homes to meet its READY standards. Competitive advantage also plays a role in this choice. “This level of sustainability is a differentiator for us,” Tibbitts says. “It helps us stand out from the competition.”
As building codes change, builders must adapt, but Beazer is ahead of the market and code changes already, Bradley says. “Our trade partners are learning along with us because we all know it’s inevitable that homes will have to be more energy efficient three years from now,” she says.
At meetings of the Southern Nevada Building Industry Association, other builders often approach Beazer representatives to ask them what steps they’re taking to meet code requirements.
“We dealt with [code changes] a few years ago,” Anderson says. “With our commitment to [ZERH], we’re definitely raising the bar again. Customers value better materials and products, and we see payoff in fewer warranty requests.”
Like all builders, Beazer competes for buyers based on the location of their homes, floorplans and pricing, Tibbitts says.
“We have the highest-performing homes on the market, which makes it easy to compete in that category,” Tibbitts says. “Some buyers come in and know what to ask about sustainability and how we build our homes, but most people don’t know what they’re looking for until it’s there. We’re building what people want before they know they want it.”
The concept of the VISION House Las Vegas will help educate buyers about how Beazer’s homes are different by demonstrating the building science that sets them apart. For example, Beazer’s sales team explains HERS scores to help consumers understand the difference between the home Beazer is building and other houses.
“It’s an easy conversation with buyers to promise a lower utility bill,” Bradley says. “But really, it’s what is behind the walls that impacts how you live, including the healthy indoor air quality and quiet and comfort that come with enhanced insulation, for example. You don’t have to wait for the first utility bill to experience that in the model.”
To demonstrate those features to consumers, suppliers, trade partners and other builders, the VISION House Las Vegas project will include a deconstructed house and two model homes.
At the VISION House Las Vegas project, Beazer is building one baseline model of a ZERH and an upgraded version. The baseline house will meet Beazer’s READY requirements, include a solar array on the roof, and feature WaterSense-labeled products that reduce water use by at least 20 percent.
The upgraded VISION House Las Vegas will include an upgraded solar array and battery storage, as well as other advanced products, systems and technologies. Both homes will feature numerous environmentally conscious products and building techniques.
In addition, Beazer is building a “deconstructed” model as an educational showcase to visually explain what’s happening behind the walls and why. “Building the deconstructed model is a big financial commitment for us,” Tibbitts says. “We’re taking this home and homesite off-market for a significant amount of time.”
While Beazer’s Surprising Performance Rooms in models across the country showcase a cross-section of a wall to provide a small sample of what’s behind the walls, the deconstructed model’s walls will be open throughout the home. Visitors will be able to scan QR codes to learn more about specific products and features.
“This is an opportunity to help customers understand how we can make their home more affordable to operate and more comfortable,” Anderson says.
Going forward, every home Beazer builds in Las Vegas will meet ZERH requirements, Tibbitts says.
“Depending on the climate zone, the measures we take to get there may be a little different,” Tibbitts says. “We’re taking what we’ve learned building sustainable homes in different divisions over the last few years and using that knowledge to go to a new level.”
While pricing has yet to be determined for the ZERHs at Cadence, the expectation is that they will be priced competitively for that marketplace and likely to be primarily purchased by first-time move-up buyers, according to Tibbitts.
The VISION House Las Vegas demonstrates that building high performance, healthy, connected, resilient, solar plus storage-powered homes is achievable for every builder, from the smallest custom home builder to large national production builders.