Kachina Roofing, Inc. - A Solar Case Study
Case Study
Solar Project – “Green” Model Home
Ocotillo Collection at Montevista
Project: “Green” Model Home
Ocotillo Collection at Montevista
Single-family luxury home community in AZ.
Product: Eagle Roofing Products Roofer: Kachina Roofing Inc.
Profile: Ponderosa #5689 Phoenix, Az.
Color: Brown Blend Builder: Toll Brothers
Arizona Builder Goes Green With Solar Roof Solution
With advancements in alternative energy solutions flourishing and the installed costs associated with solar roof tile becoming more affordable, solar energy is quickly becoming a viable option for homeowners. Capitalizing on consumers’ increased concern to be socially and environmentally responsible, home builders are witnessing growing interest by buyers to purchase new homes with a solar photovoltaic (PV) solution that will provide clean, abundant, renewable energy.
Responding to their customers’ desires, Toll Brothers, a renowned award-winning builder of luxury homes for more than 40 years, made the decision to install Eagle Roofing Products’ solar roof, powered by SolarSaveÒ Integrated Solutions on one of its single-family luxury model homes in Arizona. Located northeast of Phoenix in Cave Creek, near fine dining, entertainment venues, museums and golf courses, Eagle’s solar roof is a prominent feature of the Octotillo Collection in the Montevista Community.
Going Green Makes Sense
The solar installation is the first of its kind the builder has offered in Arizona. Showcased as its “green model home,” Eagle’s Solar Roof was installed on the La Bella model, one of four home designs in the Ocotillo Collection. Toll Brothers will offer Eagle’s solar roof as an option for any of the four home designs in the single-family luxury home community.
“The decision to offer Eagle’s solar roof solution in our Montevista community made perfect sense both for our customers and for our business,” said Jon Peterson, Toll Brother’s project manager. “Offering a solar roof in this new community underscores our green commitment to building energy-efficient residences that enable homeowners to control energy costs while helping reduce emissions for a cleaner planet.
“And, in an area that receives more than 300 days of sunshine a year, homeowners can expect that their solar roof will deliver safe and secure sustainable energy day after day for years to come. By enabling our customers to customize their homes with the options they want most, we ensure continued growth as one of the nation’s leading builders of luxury homes.”
A Trouble free Installation
After considering available solar options, Toll Brothers made the decision to install Eagle’s Solar Roof, powered by SolarSaveÒ Integrated Solutions on its model. The turnkey solar solution offered through the strategic partnership between Eagle Roofing Products and Open Energy Corporation, maintains the aesthetics of a tile roof while generating clean, safe, energy efficient electricity from the sun. The solar array panels are effectively located alongside regular roof tile on the home. They require no water for system cooling, generate minimal environmental impact and create no waste by-products. The low-voltage tiles are lightweight and easily handled so factory-trained roofing contractors will have no problem during installation.
Further simplifying the installation process for Toll Brothers, Eagle and Open Energy’s integrated solutions program provided single line drawings for the electrical contractor and for the permit process. In addition, Open Energy completed all of the paperwork for the California Energy Commission (CEC) as well as the city’s utility. Toll Brothers was simply responsible for providing copies of supporting documentation such as building permits and certificate of insurance.
Kachina Roofing Inc., a Phoenix-based roofing contractor was selected to install both the solar and traditional concrete tiles on the green model. To maximize the panel’s exposure to the sun, 56 black solar tiles were installed in two separate locations facing West and South. The solar tiles fit seamlessly amongst the approximately 40 squares of traditional flat concrete tile (#5689) that were used to protect the 3,500-square-foot two-story home.
“We were optimistic that the training we had received from Eagle and Open Energy to install the solar panels would make the installation proceed smoothly, but I was very encouraged and a little surprised to realize exactly how easy it actually was,” said Tracy Iungerman, owner of Kachina Roofing. “Considering this was the first time we installed this solar roofing solution, the installation couldn’t have gone better. We encountered virtually no issues while mounting the solar panels and traditional roof tiles and had the entire roofing project completed in about four days.
“I was also impressed at how well the solar tiles worked from the very beginning,” Iungerman said. “Even in the initial tests of the first few panels we installed, we witnessed immediate results in the generation of energy. The final result was a stunning roof that really added to the beauty of the home. It has made me want to install a solar roof on my own home.”
According to Jay Banister, National Green Program Manager for Eagle Roofing Products, new technologies used in the manufacturing of Eagle’s solar panels are designed to seamlessly fit in with the natural look and style of the surrounding roof tile, complementing the aesthetic vision for any residential project. Highly durable, the solar tiles have a wind load rating up to 125 mph when installed with wind clips and are extremely low maintenance for the life of the array, simply requiring owners to wipe them down at regular intervals to remove any dust and debris from blocking the rays of the sun.
With the installation of its solar roof finished, the La Bella model is nearing final completion of its interior work and will be open to the public in mid-March 2008. |
