Buying New Homes With Solar Panels
Buying new homes equipped with solar panels used to be an option only available to the rich, but home builder KB Homes is changing that. They are planning to offer solar panels as standard equipment on every house they build in ten subdivisions across southern California.
Including an expensive option like solar panels on every house seems risky in a difficult housing market, but the home builder is betting that the move will help it stand out form the competition and sell more houses. By offering an option that is not already available on the market, their new homes should be more competitive against the resale market as well. Energy efficiency is a big seller at a time when electricity costs are rising. The basic solar system will include six solar panels and produce 1.4 kilowatts of electricity, which is enough to reduce a home's energy consumption by 30% a month.