Summit Residential, LLC

Solar Photovoltaic

System Size (kW DC): 1.64

Expected Annual Electricity Generation (kWh): 1,577

An Award-Winning Model Home

Summit Residential, LLC, the developer of homes in the Bartlett Hollow active adult community in Middletown, has been a leader in the development of sustainable communities in Connecticut and Westchester County. All 25 of the detached homes planned for the Bartlett Hollow complex will include energy-efficient features, such as Energy Star construction and, to date, all have been built with geothermal heating and cooling systems. Bartlett Hollow home buyers are also encouraged to consider solar electric and solar thermal systems for their homes.

The award-winning model home, completed in 2007, features a 1.64-kilowatt rooftop solar energy system on the south-facing side of the building. Consisting of eight SunPower SPR-205-BLK solar panels, the array offers prospective home buyers a visible example of a high-efficiency solar array. The array’s all-black panels offer a uniform appearance and eliminate harsh reflections, making them a good choice for the model unit. The panels are expected to reduce the eventual homeowner’s electric utility bills by over $300 per year, based on 2009 electric rates.

As of mid-2009, three Bartlett Hollow homeowners had opted for solar, installing photovoltaic systems ranging is size from 1.29 kilowatts to 5 kilowatts. Financial incentives through the CCEF’s Small Solar PV Rebate Program helped to defray a portion of the installation cost for two of these systems.

The president of Summit noted that the firm takes pride in not only making the designs and layouts its homes distinctive but also making the homes perform at the top of the efficiency scale for new home construction.