Camberley Homes is taking a break from building its typical luxury homes. The company, a division of Winchester Homes from Bethesda, Md., is trading its 3,200 square-foot floor plans for smaller, more energy-efficient housing. The greener model will soon be completed and is expected to represent future trends in sustainable living.
According to an article by Nigel F. Maynard of Builder Magazine, Stephen J. Nardella, a senior vice president at Winchester, liked the NAHB Research Center’s idea to build a greener home. The home will be a part of the Department of Energy’s Building America Challenge and will enable Winchester to get ahead of the curve regarding a code of energy-efficient changes that will soon come to the housing market.
Nardella said this home won’t be the “same old energy-efficient home.” The home will be The Branford model of the Centennial Collection by Camberley Homes and will be a 2,600-square-foot house. In accordance with the Building America Challenge, the house will be 30 percent more energy efficient than the code, which is a significant increase in efficiency.
In order to make the necessary changes to increase energy efficiency, Camberley homes is making adapting the way it approaches making its homes. Foremost, the floor plan has been reduced by 600 square feet to reduce heating and cooling costs. The house will have a detached garage for better air quality inside the house. Construction materials will consist of prefabricated and panelized structural components which will make construction more efficient by reducing waste, and advanced framing techniques will be used.
The model house is expected to be completed soon and will be priced in the high $800s.
