Between solar panels, expansion foam insulation, energy effi cient windows and smaller air
conditioning units, the client is saving hundreds of dollars each month on utility bills.
“It really depends on how much people are going to be living in the home,”
Outerbridge said. “The Boca Grande Isles home is a ‘near net zero home’ but because
there are so many windows, it can’t produce as much energy as it uses.”
Justin Sexton, owner of Old Florida Homes said the trend of
energy-effi cient homes is slowly becoming the norm.“We all practice it on the highest
level, as much as we possibly can,” Sexton said. “Honestly, most of what we do on the
island is extremely green.”
Kirby Outerbridge
January/February 2020 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE 31
Sexton said many of the builders on the island
use SIP (structurally integrated panel) boards, a
type of manufactured plywood with waterproof
glue and tape that prevents air intrusion. SIP
structures are a high-performance building system
for residential and light commercial construction.
“For a few dollars more per piece of wood it’s a
great product that pays for itself,” he said.
SIPs are manufactured under factory-controlled
conditions and can be fabricated to fi t nearly any
building design. The panels consist of an insulated
foam core sandwiched between two structural
facings, typically oriented strand board (OSB).
The result is a building that is extremely strong,
energy effi cient and cost effective.
Sexton said he’s had so many inquiries over the
past year, he decided to take a formal three-day
course last summer on energy-effi cient homes in
Washington D.C.
“We do the best we can to make these
buildings air-tight,” Sexton said. “We use high-end
PGT weathershield windows that are very
effi cient and have no air loss at all. We add spray
foam sealant to everything. The HVAC systems are
also all energy effi cient.”
Sexton said the solar houses he has built off
island have been selling fast as well.
“This is going to be the way of the future,” he
said. “We can build a 1,600-square-foot house in
less than 90 days. We order products from a plant
in Ocala that processes them.”