Blue Sky Homes
Blue Sky Homes, a ‘Smart and Green’ real estate development company located in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona, is owned and operated by Nick & Adralyn Blue. Its subdivision and homesites are selected carefully with the goal of giving homeowners the opportunity to comfortably walk or bicycle to nearby restaurants, coffee shops, parks, or other attractions.
In this month’s feature, we asked Blue Sky Homes Marketing Manager Jessica Luchini to share some insight on building HERS® homes for their customers.
Q: What is special about a HERS® Rated home?
A: Jessica: We like to compare a home’s HERS® rating to a new car’s ‘MPG window sticker’. This is how you measure how efficient your home is, the only difference is that the numbers are reversed. The higher the number, the lower the energy efficiency. The best HERS® ratings have the smallest numbers.
Q: Why should consumers ask for the HERS® Index Score on homes they are shopping for?
A: Jessica: When customers ask for a HERS® rating, it allows them to have an objective 3rd party assessment. It is important to know what type of home you are purchasing. The quality, the energy performance, and its overall capability all affect the new homeowner. Low energy efficiency will not only reflect in the HERS® rating, but also in the month-to-month energy bills.
Q: Why does Blue Sky Homes choose to have their homes HERS® Rated?
A: Jessica: We choose to have our home HERS® rated because we love our product and our customers. We only sell homes that we would want to live in ourselves. This also helps our clients understand the quality of work that we put into each home, particularly the choices we make behind the facade and walls.
Q: Why consumers should expect energy-efficient homes?
A: Jessica: It is no secret in Arizona that our scorching summers require a lot of energy to keep our homes cool. As the temperatures have soared, so have the electricity prices. Phoenicians have seen over a 30% bill increase over the last 10 years. Green energy is the future and Blue Sky Homes strives to be the future of home building. We want to be part of the solution, not the problem.
Q: How many homes does Blue Sky Homes build with HERS® per year?
A: Jessica: Currently we average 20-25 projects per year. Every one of our projects has a HERS® rating.
Q: How do you market HERS® Rated homes?
A: Jessica: We differentiate ourselves in the marketplace by openly sharing our HERS® rating. We quantify it through a monthly energy cost savings amount. Our HERS® rating comes in around 49. We are 51% more efficient than our competitors, not even considering the resale market which rates around the 130 mark.
Q: How do your customers feel about HERS® Rated homes?
A: Jessica: Often times our customers do not know what a HERS® rating is, but once we educate them, they appreciate the work and effort put into it. On the other hand, we also have many energy-savvy clients who seek us out specifically for our green and eco-conscious products.
