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partners:


E-Star Colorado

Energy Star Partner

Built Green Equal Housing Opportunity

Environments For Living

SOPRIS HOMES FIRST COLORADO BUILDER
TO OFFER COMFORT AND ENERGY USAGE
GUARANTEES ON ALL HOMES


BOULDER, Colo., October 22, 2003...Sopris Homes, a Boulder-based builder of luxury homes is offering what many believe is the impossible – guaranteeing a home’s comfort and energy usage. How can it be?

The supporting foundation lies in designing and constructing a quality building shell and a quality HVAC system and then performance testing every home during the construction and build-out phases.

How do you measure comfort?

By setting standards in terms of temperature variation -- no more than a three-degree temperature variance in any room -- and constructing a home built to that standard, comfort is measurable. In conjunction with Environments for Living, a nationwide program of Masco Contractor Services, Sopris Homes has a partner that underwrites this guarantee, based on Sopris and the home meeting specific standards that are inspected through several phases of the construction process.

How does Sopris do it?

According to John Stevens, president of Sopris Homes, the most important element is viewing a home as more than a collection of parts. Sopris’ systems approach incorporates heating, cooling, air circulation, moisture control and more. If these components don’t work well together, problems will develop. In a high-performance home, this systems and whole-home approach, combined with quality craftsmanship, will deliver greater comfort, healthier indoor air and energy cost savings.

Key components of the Sopris systems package include:

Specially constructed walls and floors eliminate the chance for outdoor air to bypass the insulation
High-quality, low e-coating treated windows
Tighter construction through the use of special sealings, verified by air leakage testing.
Mechanical, fresh air ventilation
Combustion safety
Multi-zone heating and cooling systems
High-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners
Specially engineered ductwork
Exterior drainage plane that reduces moisture problems, leaks and molds

Increased energy efficiencies

Sopris is a Built Green™ registered builder that constructs all of its houses to exceed the latest International Energy Conservation Code. In addition, all Sopris homes carry a 5-Star E-Star rating and the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star Label. Homeowners benefit from environmental efficiencies and lower energy bills. Nonetheless, Stevens says this environmental commitment and cost savings has not been a big incentive for buyers. But the addition of the comfort and energy usage guarantees are proving to be solid selling features on their homes, which is giving Sopris an edge over its competition.

Bottom line results

Since implementing its systems approach, Sopris has not received a single callback regarding comfort. It is this assurance that the systems approach works, coupled with Stevens’ own experiences regarding comfort variations in his own home that prompted the comfort guarantee. “We’re a company of perfectionists,” said Stevens. “We have always worked at getting better and better and to now be able to guarantee comfort and energy usage are logical – and important – steps for Sopris.”

More information

To learn more about Sopris, its luxury homes, systems approach and comfort guarantee call (303) 527-0000.