Pineapplefish Luxury Anna Maria Island Villas are ahead of the game on renewable energy and are amongst the first properties on the Island of Anna Maria, part of Florida's Gulf Islands that are investing to significantly improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Recognising the local area's concern for the environment and the number of initiatives being tried state wide Pineapplefish have employed ESC, Energy and Sustainability Consultants in Florida, to audit the first 2 of their luxury properties; Limefish and Cherryfish. The Energy Audits were undertaken in June 2009 and work has already started to reduce their energy use.
These modifications include simple applications such as improving the seal ducts to installing programmable thermostats, through to more extensive and expensive systems such as Solar Hot Water systems and PV (Photovoltaics) Technology. Photovoltaics is a system of using light to generate electricity. Solar PV cells can be arranged in panels on a building's roof or walls and feed electricity into the building directly. Google are currently using this technology and completed an installation of over 9,000 panels at their Mountain View, CA Headquarters in June 2007, the biggest US corporate installation at that time. View the amount of electricity Google are producing with this system.
These improvements mean that the Pineapplefish Homes will be better than the average of a 'reference' home.
For example; with a reference home receiving a HERS* rating of 100 (and with a lower number being a better rating, the improvements to Limefish mean that the rating for that home will improve from 136 currently, to 82, an improvement of 54 index points and annual energy bill savings of $830.
The remaining 4 properties; Honeyfish, Chillifish, Lemonfish and Plumfish will be developed early in 2010.
Pineapplefish have already invested in Solar Heating Systems for the swimming pools across the properties. Click here to keep up to date with these developments on Pinapplefish homes.
*The properties energy efficiency improvements are measured against a HERS rating (Home Energy Rating System) Index, which is recognised in accordance with RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network). RESNET standards are officically recognised by the US mortgage industry for capitalising a buildings energy performance in the mortgage loan and by the federal government for verification of building energy performance for such programmes as federal tax incentives, the environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR programme and the US Department of Energy's Building America Programme.
Sarasota County has been awarded approximately $2.5 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to support energy efficiency and conservation activities. The County is currently finalising a strategy for how it will implement the proposed projects and programmes to achieve energy savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create or retain jobs.
The award comes from the US Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which is distributing $3.2 billion nationwide to help more than 2,300 cities, counties, states and Indian tribes nationwide improve energy efficiency, reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions and create green jobs locally.
...A portion of the grant will be used to save taxpayer dollars through retrofits to county buildings. The remainder will be devoted to a system of energy audits and incentives for home energy improvements through loads and rebates.... read more.