WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – The first of its kind, a net zero-energy ready townhome is set to be built in Winter Garden.
It will be off Avalon Road and is set to be a community named Windham Park which would have 61 townhomes, according to city records.
However, the builders — Beazer Homes — plan for groundbreaking to be in summer 2025 with homes on the market by 2026.
“What we were approved for development is probably going to take us about eight months, and then it will take us probably four to six months to build our model homes and be open for sale,” said Steven Cervino, Orlando-area president of Beazer Homes.
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What makes these townhomes net zero-energy ready is by adherence to the standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy. It also uses 40-50% less energy than a regular home, which can lead to lower utility bills, Cervino said.
He also mentioned Beazer Homes has third-party consultants to ensure that they are complying with the DOE’s standards.
According to the DOE’s website. some of the components in these homes include LED lightning systems installed, high-performance windows and having an insulation to install an electric vehicle charging station.
To add on, these homes are also solar ready. So, if the resident would like to add solar panels to the roof, there is already space to connect the additional system.
“Because our homes are so energy efficient, we’re not talking about having to put 30 solar panels on a roof,” Cervino said.
Meanwhile, Cervino said the team doesn’t have an estimate of how much it will cost to build the Winter Garden townhomes. He said it is costly, but that the benefits make it worthwhile.
“There is definitely a significant cost that’s associated with the design of the home, the products that we put in the homes, the installation construction practices to get those products into the homes,” Cervino said.
This isn’t the company’s entrance into the Central Florida market. It has built eight communities across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. The single-family homes and townhomes vary in price due to size and location. According to its website, homes for sale range from $360,000 to $600,000.
Cervino said the company does not build any for-rent products and with the costs associated with building these types of homes, it is not very realistic to offer affordable housing.
However, he said a city could purchase homes from them and put it in a housing program for low-income residents. Currently, Winter Garden has not offered this deal with Beazer Homes.
“Given what we’re doing with our homes, the materials, the quality, all the things that that are included in the home, makes it very difficult for us to be targeting that, that lower price point,” Cervino said. “So that said, we do have communities around the country that have some components of affordable housing that are typically driven by municipal requirements.”
All in all, Winter Garden was very supportive of this project, according to city Planning Director Kelly Carson. Carson told News 6 the city is always pushing developers to reduce their development footprint.
“Strategies may include developing less densely; clustering development away from existing trees, wetlands, or other sensitive environment areas; or supporting low impact development strategies like alternative energy sources. The city will always encourage sustainable development strategies where feasible,” Carson said in a prepared statement.
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