Pardee shows off its green side to government officials during tour

Solamar, a Pardee Homes LivingSmart community in northwestern Las Vegas, was a showcase for energy efficiency during the fact-finding tour recently conducted by the Nevada Senate Committee on Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation, which is seeking to expand the use of renewable energy in the state.

Legislators were briefed by Klif Andrews, president of Pardee's Southern Nevada Division and Joyce Mason, vice president of marketing, about Pardee's company-wide LivingSmart program that boosts energy efficiency, saves water, improves indoor air quality and encourages material conservation and the use of recycled or sustainable resources in new homes.

"Pardee developed LivingSmart as part of our pursuit of greener, more sustainable building and development," Andrews told committee members State Sen. Mike Schneider, chairman, and state Sens. Dennis Nolan, Barbara Cegavske and Shirley Breeden, all of Clark County.

Mason demonstrated LivingSmart features such as radiant roof barrier and low-e windows that reduce energy consumption and are standard features in new homes built by Pardee in Southern Nevada.

"Our buyers can look forward to lower energy and water bills, healthier indoor air and greater indoor comfort," Mason said.

LivingSmart provides standard materials, systems and features with EnergySmart, EarthSmart, WaterSmart and HealthSmart advantages. To these buyers can add such features as photovoltaic systems for in-home solar power; house water filtration; tankless water heaters and bamboo flooring. Optional features vary by home and neighborhood.

A pioneer in green building, Pardee was the one of the first regional builders to commit to building energy-efficient homes in Southern Nevada in 1998.

Since then, Pardee Homes has earned top honors for its green and sustainable achievements, including being named Production Home Builder of the Year in National Association of Homebuilders' Green Building and Energy, Value Housing 2006 Awards and Green Project of the Year from the National Green Building Conference in 2004. The company works with the industry to support environmental research and advancement and participates in diverse professional forums on green building.

Pardee also built the Ultimate Family Home -- a Zero Energy Home -- for the 2004 International Builders Show in Las Vegas, showcasing energy efficiencies such as an 8.6 kW roof-integrated, solar electric system capable of producing nearly all the energy needed for the 5,300-square-foot home, Mason said.

For more information about Pardee's LivingSmart homes, visit pardeehomes.com.