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Blakeslee Area Builder
Introduces New Home Series with “Green
Options”
Blakeslee, Pa
– In stark contrast to what is
occurring across the nation, one home
builder is launching a new series of homes.
Centennial Homes, Inc., a custom
home builder located in Blakeslee, is
introducing a new line which offers a Green
Option Package.
The new collection is
called The Prestige Series
and
is available with customer choices that
could dramatically reduce fuel consumption
and carbon monoxide.
Bob McKnight,
Centennial’s marketing and sales
manager, remarked, “It shouldn’t surprise
anyone that we are growing and changing. We
are responding to our market place. Since
last year, when the builders association
recognized the quality, value and uniqueness
of our work with five awards, we have had
requests for larger, more feature rich
homes. Our web site has had a record number
of hits for the
Prestige Series
since we introduced it in mid-April.”
Centennial
Homes, Inc. is celebrating its 21st
year in business. Over the years, it has
gained a reputation for building quality
small to mid-sized homes throughout the
Northeastern Pennsylvania. In September,
2007, the Pocono Builders’ Association
awarded
Centennial five plaques for
quality and affordability, raising the total
number of plaques on their office wall to
nine.
When asked how the new
series will effect the company’s tagline, “Who
needs a big mortgage? We build sensible
homes for sensible people,” Bob
Hutchins, the company’s Vice President
responded, “I think it fits right in. Along
with low mortgage payments, I can’t think of
anything more sensible than saving on your
utility bills.” Bob is also a lifetime
member of the Board of Directors and
Regional Vice President for the Pennsylvania
Builders’ Association.
The
Prestige
series will range in size from 1800
to 3000 square feet. Included features are
a high efficiency air to air heat pump with
air conditioning, a gas fireplace with
remote control and a microwave oven.
Kitchens include oak, maple or hickory
cabinets. The designer accents include six
panel interior doors, cultured stone inside
and out and a ceramic tiled foyer.
The Green Option
Package features a Geo-thermal heat pump;
triple pane krypton filled windows; and
enhanced insulation. “The numbers are so
favorable for the consumer that it’s a no
brainer,” declared Jim Hutchins President of
Centennial Homes. “No one knows
what the cost of electricity will be in
fifteen years, but the cost of our Green
Option Package will be fixed for the term of
the mortgage. Does anyone seriously think
that the cost of electricity will be going
down?”
According to the U.S.
Department of Energy, a Geo-thermal heat
pump will use 25% to 50% less electricity.
With the cost of energy continuing to rise,
the cost/benefit analysis looks good for the
consumer. The enhancement would add about
$90.00 to the average mortgage payment but a
30% decrease in electricity cost could save
$150.00 in today’s dollars.
In addition to the cost
savings and environmental benefits,
consumers enjoy reliability and
convenience. According to the U.S.
Department of Energy’s web site, “Because
GHP (Geo-thermal heat pump) systems have
relatively few moving parts, and because
those parts are sheltered inside a building,
they are durable and highly reliable. The
underground piping often carries warranties
of 25–50 years, and the heat pumps often
last 20 years or more. Since they usually
have no outdoor compressors, GHPs are not
susceptible to vandalism. On the other hand,
the components in the living space are
easily accessible, which increases the
convenience factor and helps ensure that the
upkeep is done on a timely basis.”
“Because they have
no outside condensing units like air
conditioners, there's no concern about noise
outside the home. A two-speed GHP system is
so quiet inside a house that users do not
know it is operating: there are no tell-tale
blasts of cold or hot air.”
Reprinted courtesy of The Journal of the
Pocono Plateau |
