Dominion began offering dual-fuel rebates in 2021, said Jorgan Hofeling, communications strategic adviser for Dominion. More than 1,100 rebates were paid the first year, and another 1,800 last year. This year the company projects that it will have 2,300 homes eligible for rebates, including the Ivory homes.
Michael Parker, Ivory’s vice president for strategy, said the slowdown in home construction caused by rising interest rates and improvements in the supply chain make the move possible. “It’s hard to do this when the frenzy is happening.” This comes on top of earlier efficiency and clean-air efforts the company has offered under the “IvoryGreen” brand. Those include 6-inch framing with added insulation, and a 220/240-volt outlet for electric-car charging has been standard since 2020.Ivory estimates the rebates and tax credits will roughly cover the higher costs of Energy Star and heat pumps, and that’s important because they want to see other builders join them.
Great piece! Glad to see builders respond to market demand for efficient & affordable housing choices. Another suggestion? Include Visitability features in the initial design to create ‘homes for life.’ IDAccessProject FairHouseForum visitability
Caveat emptor indeed. There will be one HVAC in the state that will know how to work on it, and good luck with that. Our builder, long since bankrupt, put a bunch of fancy tech in our home as the model, and now no one will touch it and we can't get it fixed.
Is the dual fuel necessary? Gas cannot be part of the next generation of housing. Is it marketing and playing to the fears of the ignorant? Hedging their bet?