San Antonio builders offering more solar in neighborhoods

San Antonio builders offering more solar in neighborhoodsNew home builders in San Antonio, Texas are doing something different. More and more of them are offering solar installations as options on all of their homes.

There is not a whole lot of new home construction anywhere in the country, but the new homes that are going up tend to be greener and more energy efficient than homes ever used to be. And now, San Antonio home buyers are able to offset their energy costs with solar arrays even in lower-priced tract houses.

Build San Antonio Green is a non-profit organization working with construction companies and builders to create better and greener neighborhoods.

“It’s been happening in the last few months,” said Lina Luque, Build San Antonio Green certification manager. “We’re seeing it more now that builders are offering solar and that people want it.”

There are four builders in the area that are offering solar as a regular option on homes. The first was Built Smart, which is a specialized green builder who has constructed two net-zero houses in the San Antonio area, Luque said. And the builder is working on constructing more net-zero or near net-zero properties.

“Imagine Homes was our first production builder to offer solar,” Luque said.

Imagine builds homes that range in price from $140,000 to $350,000, according to Luque.

“He has been offering the solar option for his clients since last year,” Luque said.

The option has been popular, Luque said. A combination of state and federal rebates along with solar incentives from the utility and from Build Green has made solar photovoltaic installations affordable.

And more builders are offering it as an option. Lennar Homes just added it and KB Homes, known for its solar-powered neighborhoods in other states, just started building in San Antonio.

Build Green is happy builders are embracing clean power generation methods, but there’s more to a green home than a solar array.

“Solar is really good,” Luque said. “But it’s the last step. The house has to be efficient for a solar array to be feasible. You don’t want to have to spend a lot of money on a big solar array. You have to prepare the house and create an efficient envelope.”

She said San Antonio builders are more mindful of efficiency than ever before.

Image courtesy of Build Green San Antonio.