Meritage Homes to Debut First Central Florida Net Zero Energy Home

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - April 13, 2016) - Meritage Homes is continuing to raise the bar on homebuilding in Florida and beyond. Just in time for Earth Day, the leader in energy-efficient homebuilding will debut its first net zero energy home in Central Florida at the Enclave at Windermere Landing in the city of Windermere.

Through the combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy, net zero energy homes are designed to reduce energy consumption and produce enough energy annually to meet the expected electricity needs of a home for an average family of four, as based on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates.

"Meritage is an industry leader in improving the way homes are built and how they operate to improve families' lives," said Orlando Division President Brian Kittle. "Here in Central Florida, this is the next chapter of our implementation of that strategy."

To reduce the total operating cost of its homes, Meritage includes dozens of features designed to decrease the monthly operating and maintenance costs and increase the resale value. Adding high-efficiency solar power solutions from SunPower to generate clean, renewable energy can result in a home that costs even less for a buyer to own and operate. Based on the average energy consumption from the U.S. DOE, a net zero energy home consumes approximately $150,000 less energy over a 30-year period, compared to an average existing home.

"Meritage has been building net zero energy homes for the last five years," Kittle added. "The incremental cost to build a net zero energy home is less than its estimated energy savings, and we've found that many buyers understand the immense value that these homes provide for their families for generations to come. As a company, Meritage aims to inspire consumers that they can, and should, have a better home than their previous one."

Net zero energy homes look and live like a conventional home, but better. As a result of better insulation and more efficient windows, these homes are more comfortable -- especially in the Florida heat. The homes include better-functioning lights, appliances and HVAC. The included solar system carries a 25-year manufacturer's warranty -- and quietly and unassumingly harnesses the Florida sun to offset energy use.

Through 2016, Meritage will be installing high-efficiency SunPower Equinox™ solar power systems on new homes purchased from the builder in the Orlando metropolitan area. According to SunPower, with 70 percent fewer visible parts, the solar energy solution from SunPower delivers 70 percent more electricity than conventional systems in the same space over 25 years.

Meritage Homes is one of the largest homebuilders in Orlando. For more information, visit MeritageHomes.com.

About Meritage Homes Corporation
Meritage Homes is the seventh-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2015. Meritage builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. Meritage builds in markets including Sacramento, San Francisco Bay area, southern coastal and Inland Empire markets in California; Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Green Valley and Tucson, Arizona; Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg and York County, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.

Meritage has designed and built more than 90,000 homes in its 30-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding.

For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com.

SUNPOWER, the SUNPOWER logo and SUNPOWER EQUINOX are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunPower Corporation in the U.S. and other countries as well.

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