Utah Clean Energy partners with local construction companies to modernize Utah’s housing market

Salt Lake City – As part of an ambitious initiative to redefine sustainable living, Utah Clean Energy, with support from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, is partnering with three local home builders – Garbett Homes, Ivory Homes and Sego Homes – to create low and zero emission homes more affordable in Utah.

These builders will soon begin construction on three state-of-the-art homes to achieve some of the highest standards in the country for energy efficiency and reduced emissions. These homes will show other builders the potential to build homes that provide a healthy environment.

“Area-based emissions sources, which include Utah homes and buildings, will soon surpass the transportation sector as the leading source of local air emissions in Utah. Changing the way we build new homes is one of the best ways to reduce local pollution,” said Kevin Emerson, director of building decarbonization at Utah Clean Energy. “We need to start building new homes ‘from the ground up,’ and there is no better way for leading homebuilders to lead the way.”

Participating builders will optimize the home design by introducing modern construction science practices and using proven, innovative construction systems and technologies. Through this project, builders will demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of building to a higher standard, inspiring their peers and the broader construction industry to adopt high-performance construction practices.

Each home will be built to meet the requirements of one of the federal government’s advanced home certification programs. Two of them will be certified as compliant with the U.S. Department of Energy’s zero-energy homes program, and one with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR NextGen New Generation Homes program. All will be at least 40% more energy efficient than traditional new Utah homes.

“The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity is pleased to support this project, and we look forward to seeing these leading construction companies spur innovation that will broadly improve air quality across the state,” said Jim Grover, managing director of grants and incentives with the office Utah Governor’s Economic Opportunities.

Two of these homes, which are part of the Daybreak “model village,” will be featured in the Salt Lake Valley Parade of Homes in August 2024, and the other home will be featured as a model home available for public tours in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade District in August.

About clean energy in Utah

Utah Clean Energy is Utah’s leading expert public interest organization working to turn the tide on climate change by advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage and clean vehicles in ways that benefit not only Utah’s environment and health, but also our economy and long-term energy security. Utah Clean Energy is committed to creating a future that provides healthy, thriving communities for all, strengthened and sustained by clean energies such as solar, wind and energy efficiency. More information can be found at www.utahcleanenergy.org.