A few weeks ago we met with the three owners of Las Ventanas Homes to talk to them about solar energy for the homes they build in Albuquerque. One of our biggest goals here at Affordable Solar is to help home builders understand the many benefits of solar energy, encouraging them to include solar as a standard feature. Of course builders use solar in a design when it is requested by their customers, but left on their own,  solar often  gets overlooked in the planning stage because people still haven’t quite grasped the financial benefits of solar energy.  Solar is an investment, but with a quick return and a lifetime of savings.

Las Ventanas sees the benefit of solar electricity and they are building their model home and their Spring Parade feature home with solar from Affordable Solar. They see solar as the best opportunity to stand out from their competition, offering a feature to their customers that will save them money, month after month in energy savings. Las Ventanas wants to offer a “net zero” home to their customers.

A net zero home has zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site. Las Ventanas sees this approach as cutting edge and a product that people will be expecting as standard in the very near future. They are approaching this with solar, along with other components like high levels of insulation, efficient HVAC systems, high-performance windows and energy efficient appliances and lighting.

The buyers of these custom solar homes won’t really feel the cost of the solar because it is included with the monthly mortgage payment. What the homeowner will notice is the $0 electric bill each month. As PNM electric rates increase, Las Ventanas homeowners will continue to save money, avoiding inflated electricity costs while generating their own power.

We are excited about our new partnership with Las Ventanas Homes and look forward to touring their featured spring Parade home when it is complete. The anticipation is these two projects will compel Las Ventanas to build more homes with solar as standard energy saving feature. If you want to see more new homes built with solar as standard, visit their model home or give them a call. Tell them Affordable Solar sent you! www.lasventanasnm.com or 505-362-6823.