Finding a Home that Takes Advantage of Solar

Good friends of mine in Alamo recently added solar panels to their home to generate electricity. 

They are over the moon with the results, frequently exclaiming “we’re feeding into the grid,” with great enthusiasm.

They have a large home and a big family—they use a huge amount of electricity (windows open, AC running full blast, you get the picture), yet now their meter frequently runs backward. This is exciting, and prompted me to see if I could find homes for sale that use solar power.

Here are some interesting choices:

Alamo

321 Iron Horse Court is offered by Karen Texeira of J. Rockcliff. This is a 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home with 5,780 square feet. It has a large .57 acre lot and a salt water pool that is solar heated. This is a stunning home with lovely finishes and a six (yes, six!) car garage. Offered for $2,299,000. See the virtual tour. The home is open Thursday from 10:00 – 2:00 for Broker’s Tour (public welcome). For showings or questions, please call Karen at 925-330-5505.

Danville

35 Rhett Place is offered by Julie Whitmer of J. Rockcliff.  This “green” house has it all. Built in 2007, it’s a Tuscan style home with 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 4,386 square feet (main house is 3,608 square feet, plus a casita). Located near in a wonderful close-in Danville location, close to the Iron Horse Trail. See the virtual tour. Offered for $1,559,000. For showings or questions, please call Julie at 925-997-5120.

San Ramon

711 Sleeping Meadow Ct. is offered by Larry Waelde of Coldwell Banker. This Windemere home has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 3,410 square feet. It has a nice location at the end of a court and backing to open space. It is solar powered and has had very low PG&E bills in the past. The seller explained, "My 12 months average electric bill is $4.51 ($54.12/ year). There is a minimum charge I pay which varies from month to month and I get credits for excess energy that is generated.  The lowest was in November 2010. My bill was $3.99 and the highest was in February 2010. It was $5.03.” Offered for $979,000. See the virtual tour. For showings or questions, please call Larry at 925-373-2291.

Pleasanton

1300 Safreno Way is offered by Dan Ryan of Prudential Realty. This is a 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom, 3,892 square foot single story home with a salt water pool and 1/3 acre lot. It was built in 2007 with the environment in mind, with “green” construction and a top-of-the-line solar system. Plus, the home features a granite kitchen with stainless appliances, wine closet, and four car garage. Offered for $1,495,000. For showings or questions, please call Dan at 510-728-3533.

Livermore

2331 Gamay Common is offered by Karen Crowson of Alain Pinel. This 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home is 3,650 square feet. It’s a gorgeous one story in a small gated development of 20 custom homes. Located on a beautifully landscaped corner lot, with swimming pool, spa, barbecue island, and putting green. Solar panels power the electricity. Seller Don Boyd commented that, “We have had our solar system in for 3 years and it has been trouble free. The 44 panels have reduced our electricity consumption by 60 percent. There is a good feeling associated with contributing to energy reduction when resources are running thin.” Offered for $1,085,000. See the virtual tour. For showings or questions, please call Karen at 925-784-6208.