Meritage Homes Offers First Energy Efficient in Houston Area at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX

April 6, 2011 - PRLog -- Houston, TX. (April 6, 2011) – Meritage Homes Corporation, a top-10 U.S. homebuilder, is proud to announce they are opening their first energy saving, high-performance community in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area at Cinco Ranch in Katy.  Cinco Ranch is the newest community in Texas to offer the Company’s new green homes, which can save new home owners up to 58% in energy use as compared to existing homes, according to standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy.  All the energy saving features will be included in each home as standard elements, with no additional cost to the homebuyer.  

Meritage Homes was the first national homebuilder to exceed the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® qualification requirements in every home the Company has built since January 1, 2010. All Meritage homes are at least 20% to 30% more energy efficient than a typical home built to the current International Residential Code. Meritage subsequently launched their next generation of advanced energy saving homes in the Arizona market last June, which go well beyond ENERGY STAR standards to save 40-80% or more in energy consumption.

Meritage Homes’ energy saving homes were designed from the ground up to go well beyond the standard energy performance program of any other production homebuilder’s community in the Houston area.  Each new Meritage Green Home comes with all of the following advanced building science practices, including:

o   Spray Foam Insulation
o   Double Low-E Vinyl Windows
o   Energy Efficient CFL Lighting  
o   High Performance Water Saving Plumbing Fixtures
o   14 SEER  Air Conditioning Unit  

“We are very happy to be able to offer our energy saving homes Meritage Homes at Cinco Ranch,” These new high performance homes will offer some of the most advanced energy efficient features available today,” said Steve Harding, Division President for Meritage Homes.  “We continually strive to provide our buyers with homes that offer unequalled energy savings and versatile home designs, built to the highest level of craftsmanship.  

Home buyers at Cinco Ranch get the best of both worlds, the community is located in the sprawling West Houston area, which offers numerous amenities and activities in a quiet residential setting, yet they are just minutes away from downtown Houston via the Westpark Tollway.  Residents are close to numerous golf courses and other entertainment venues, great dining and retail options. New Meritage Home buyers at Cinco Ranch will also find that their new homes will save them money on their monthly utility bills, as well as reduce energy consumption thereby saving our precious resources for future generations.”

Meritage Homes offers eight different floor plans at Cinco Ranch, four single-story and four two-story plans.  Homes range from just over 1,500 square feet to over 2,500 square feet of versatile living space with prices that start at $173,990.  With so many plans to choose from, just about anyone, whether they are single or empty nester, newly married first time homebuyers, a growing family or those needing room for extended family, homes at Cinco Ranch offer a wide range of sizes and price points to any lifestyle.  

“We believe this is the way homes should be built going forward. They are not only more energy efficient, but more comfortable, cleaner and safer for our homeowners than other new or existing homes,” said Steve Hilton, chairman and chief executive officer of Meritage Homes. “Meritage Homes is a leader in energy efficient homebuilding, and this is a key component of our strategy. We are committed to advancing green building practices throughout the industry.”

Meritage Homes will be hosting their grand opening media and VIP event on Wednesday, April 6th, from 10 a.m. until noon.  The consumer grand opening weekend will be April 9th and 10th.  On Saturday, April 9th, the community will host the Cinco Ranch Nature Adventure from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  We hope the community will come out and join Meritage Homes for Bird House Building and register to win some great prizes.  Visitors will also have the opportunity to tour the Meritage Homes’ Building Science Learning Center, which showcases many of the energy saving features incorporated in each new Meritage home through a series of hands-on displays.

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About Meritage Homes Corporation
Meritage Homes Corporation is the 9th largest homebuilder in the U.S. based on homes closed. Meritage offers a variety of homes across the Southern and Western states designed to appeal to a wide range of home buyers, including first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers, with base prices starting from under $100,000. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had 151 actively selling communities in 12 metropolitan areas.
The Meritage Homes Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2624

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