SRINGFIELD, Missouri – The new, Energy Star™ rated i-house from Clayton Homes has arrived in the Springfield area and can now been viewed, toured and purchased at the the Clayton Homes model home center in Springfield, Mo.
The eco-friendly Clayton i-house, which is now available for purchase, launched nationally at the Berkshire-Hathaway Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Neb. on May 2, 2009 when Warren Buffett showed the i-house to attendees. Since that time, the i-house has been featured on numerous national cable television news shows and in newspapers and magazines across the country. The i-house on display in Springfield is the same i-house toured by Buffett at the Berkshire-Hathaway meeting before it was moved to Springfield.
The i-house is Energy Star™ rated, which means the home is at least 30 percent more energy efficient according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although home buyers are likely to first notice the stylish design, cutting-edge color combinations and modern furnishings, the i-house also features solar panels, a rain water catchment system, high-end “low e” windows, a tankless water heater, low-flow faucets, easily renewable bamboo flooring and many other energy saving items.
“The i-house will change the way people look at our products and housing in general,” said Kevin Clayton, CEO of Clayton Homes. “We build these homes in a controlled environment away from the weather, so there’s a huge quality benefit simply because of how we build a home. We also have far less scrap in our building process than a traditional home, so there are tremendous cost savings we pass along to the homebuyer.”
Built with an exterior of cement board and architectural metal, the home’s most distinctive feature is the V-shaped roof over the primary living space that includes the i-house’s rainwater catchment system and solar panels. The primary living area includes a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, and a deck connects it to a separate living area that features a bedroom or den, a full bath and a roof-top patio.
Clayton Homes says the i-house’s energy costs are less than $70 a month, but that figure drops to less than one dollar per day when the optional solar panel system is installed.
The i-house is consistent with the overall environmental focus at Clayton Homes, which is in the process of obtaining LEED certification – the national benchmark for eco-friendly design – at its Tennessee headquarters. Clayton has cut energy costs at its offices by 28 percent over the last two years, and has already started implementing many of the “green” features of the i-house into its traditional homes.
Although the i-house is expected to be a popular primary residence, it is also drawing considerable interest from people who wish to have a second home or vacation home because of its affordability, unique design and energy efficiency. The $8,000 first-time homebuyer’s tax credit, is expected to attract many first-time homebuyers, many of whom will be drawn to the modern design and energy efficiency of the i-house. More information is available at http://claytonihouse.com.
Clayton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, has built 1.5 million homes since 1934. Clayton homes are precision-built in 35 state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facilities strategically located throughout the United States.
Knoxville, Tenn. –