Community Greenhouse Foundation Industry Partner Takes Leadership Role in Florida Sustainable Housing Movement
Stuart, FL, April 11, 2006
Energy Structures & Systems, Inc., a member of the CGF Industry Partner Program has become a new Department of Energy “Building America” partner in Florida.
Officials from Florida Solar Energy Center visited Stuart on Friday for a dual purpose. First to welcome Energy Structures & Systems Inc. president Rand Eckhart as a new DOE “Building America” partner and to tour four of the new sustainable homes Mr. Eckhart’s company is completing in the Martin County area. Building America is a private/public partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that conducts research to find energy-efficient solutions for new and existing housing that can be implemented on a production basis.
Building America conducts systems engineering research to do the following:
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Produce homes on a community scale that use on average 30% to 90% less energy
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Integrate onsite power systems leading to "zero-energy" (ZEH) homes that will ultimately produce as much energy as they use by 2020.
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Help home builders reduce construction time and waste
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Improve builder productivity
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Provide new product opportunities to manufacturers and suppliers
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Implement innovative energy- and material-saving technologies.
Energy Structures & Systems, Inc. (ESS, Inc.) is a “Sustainable Energy Development Company” that specializes in "Zero-Net Energy Buildings" in both the residential and commercial sectors.
“Our buildings utilized an integrated design that combines an energy efficient building envelope and products with Solar systems which deliver an end product that is sustainable for the owner, environment and community”, Mr. Eckhart explained.
Even though the most of America believes utilizing this type of building approach “cost more” compared to traditional buildings practices, Mr. Eckhart disagrees.
“We have been hearing those comments for years, we are competitive with anyone and with the news that the State is going to fund a rebate program for Solar Systems in July, now is the time for owners to take advantage of becoming more sustainable”, added Eckhart.
Zero Energy Buildings are designed to use zero net energy from the utility grid. The concept is simple — couple the maximum possible building energy efficiency with the best available renewable energy resources in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of both.
To find out more about ES&S visit their web site at www.esssolar.com or contact them at (772) 419-6055.
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