DENVER — May 25, 2023 – Denver-based Thrive Home Builders recently launched a new kind of green demonstration home and model in Fort Collins, CO, that offers everyday homebuyers the option to build a carbon neutral home. With 30 years of deep building science expertise, Thrive has focused heavily over the last few years on building homes that are healthy for the homebuyer and planet, with all the modern-day amenities homebuyers are used to, through its Thrive’s Carbon-Wise® building approach.
The Thrive Carbon-Wise® building approach assesses the home’s embodied and operational carbon. Through this process, the company looks at more than 19,000 components to determine the full carbon emissions that must be offset. For the single-story patio Retreat model that serves as Thrive’s new demonstration home at the Sonders community in Fort Collins, it was determined that 103,000 kg of carbon needed to be offset to be fully carbon neutral.
To achieve this offset, the company invested in four distinct decarbonization projects, including a project in Fort Lupton called Charm Industrial, where the best of nature and tech is combined to capture carbon from entering the atmosphere. Purchasing the offset for the Retreat model is the equivalent of:
– 559 cars taken off the road for a year.
– 1,699 new trees planted.
– The annual energy usage of 13 homes.
– 368 flights from LA to New York.
“We are thrilled to be among the leading home builders, if not the first in the nation, to build a carbon neutral production home,” says Stephen Myers, CEO at Thrive. “Each home has the option to be carbon neutral at Sonders, and we’ve integrated the latest in building science that we’ve learned over a 30-year span to deliver these high-performance homes that are good for the homebuyers and planet.”
Thrive is building 220 of the 400 homes in the Sonders community and offers three distinct collections, including two single-level, single family collections and one townhome collection, starting from the $500s. In addition, all homes are DOE Zero Energy Ready, Energy Star Certified, EPA Indoor Air Plus Qualified, and LEED V4 Certified, providing homebuyers with a healthier and more comfortable home.
The green demonstration Retreat model is part of the VISION House Sonders project in collaboration with Green Builder Media, which features unique demonstration homes across the country that highlight the latest in home building science. The Vision House Sonders project showcases the most innovative green products, systems, and technologies through product sponsors, including Mitsubishi Electric, Sunnova, Phyn, Whirlpool, Owens Corning, Aprilaire, Panasonic, Uponor, DuPont, and Sneider Electric.
“From its community-wide elements to the design of its homes and the products specified within them, the VISION House Sonders projects show that you don’t have to choose between comfort and conservation,” says Sara Gutterman, CEO of Green Builder Media. “One of the most important aspects of this project is the commitment to carbon neutral building.”
– High performance feature highlights in these carbon neutral homes also include:
– Demand-side energy management solutions and smart home technologies.
– Intelligent solar + battery storage.
– Products that facilitate net energy, water, and carbon.
– Smart, efficient appliances.
– High-performance envelope, windows, and HVAC.
– Solar power plus the ability to purchase 100% renewable energy.
– Non-toxic flooring, countertops, cabinets, and other materials.
– Whole-home filtration, humidity control, and ventilation.
Visit the VISION House Sonders Fort Collins website for more information, including photos, floorplans, and detailed specifications.
About Thrive Home Builders
Thrive Home Builders is a Denver-based company that has been building energy-efficient and healthy homes in Colorado for the last 30 years. Its building practices have made Thrive a leader in the industry for high performance homes that have provided homeownership for entry-level, income-qualified homeowners to luxury homebuyers. Thrive homes use innovative building practices that incorporate the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability with the homeowner’s health in mind, including using its Thrive Carbon-Wise® building approach and offering its all-electric homes through Thrive E-PWR®. Thrive’s Zero Energy Ready Homes are LEED Certified, Energy Star Certified, and EPA Indoor airPLUS Certified.
Link to view the Retreat model at Sonders in Fort Collins.
Image 1: Exterior view of the Retreat model at Sonders in Fort Collins.
Image 2: Interior image of the Retreat model at Sonders in Fort Collins.
About Green Builder Media
Green Builder Media is North America’s leading media company focused on green building and sustainable living content. With a comprehensive suite of content marketing, digital, social, and print media options, high-profile demonstration projects, market intelligence, data services, and live events, Green Builder Media offers a blend of visionary and practical information covering a broad spectrum of topics, including decarbonization, electrification, smart home technologies, energy efficiency, intelligent water, indoor air quality, resilient housing, renewables, and clean transportation.