Bigelow ahead of its time in energy efficiency, community design

In the homebuilding industry, Perry Bigelow is a builder ahead of his time.

The engineer-turned-homebuilder, and chief executive officer of Bigelow Homes has established himself as a leader in constructing energy efficient homes and environmentally healthy communities.

Early on, Bigelow proved himself in the custom home market, and later proved himself once again by building affordable, entry level homes in the late 1980s.

Thirty years ago, when it wasn't popular to "go green," Bigelow pioneered his innovative ideas and beliefs and waited for the rest of us to catch up.

The first time I heard of Bigelow Homes, I was visiting with a group of friends, one of which was telling us about the new Bigelow house he and his family had just bought.

If memory serves me correctly, Bigelow Homes was offering homeowners a guaranteed heating cost of $200 a year on the new home.

It perked my interest ... an energy-efficient home built so that it would not overburden the homeowner, at a time when Americans were beginning to consider the benefits of becoming more energy conscious.

Now, here we are some 20 years later, still faced with even greater concerns about conserving energy and using it more efficiently, and thanks to homebuilders like Perry Bigelow, we have even more opportunities to participate.

Bigelow Homes energy heating cost program was started in 1986 at Southlight of Butterfield subdivision in Aurora, according to Mike Venetis, vice-president of sales and marketing for Bigelow Homes.

"Actually, it was as low as $100 heating cost for a year," Venetis said. "But it was so low, that many people didn't believe it; they thought there had to be a catch."

Today, Bigelow Homes heating guarantee for single-family homes is $400 per year for a three-year period. If the heating cost should exceed that amount, Bigelow pays the difference.

Standard Bigelow Homes include low-E thermal windows, insulated foundations, properly-sized heating and cooling systems, and ductwork within the thermal envelope.

Taking advantage of passive solar heating, most homes are placed on the homesite to maximize east and west windows, which reduces natural gas usage.

A Bigelow home not only saves a homeowner on their heating costs, but by saving on the burning of natural gas, reduces the amount of pollution in the form of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Just as Perry Bigelow saw the energy crisis in the mid 1970s when gasoline prices and home heating costs rose, son Jamie, president of Bigelow Homes, sees similar issues today.

"I think this one will stay a little longer than the last one," Jamie Bigelow said. "But because of this, we see necessary changes that we have to make and we have been evolving as stewards of the environment. We are still just as concerned on energy efficient means through our respect for nature and our developments."

Environmentally-friendly neighborhoods are just one more way to conserve energy and reduce building impacts on health and daily life, but making changes in newly developed neighborhoods was not always easy.

Ten years ago, Hometown Aurora was considered a radical move for many. Imagine changing the "traditional" large American subdivision into a tighter-knit community with a central park, gazebo and pedestrian and traffic-friendly streets.

In this hometown atmosphere, affordable single-family homes start at $170,000, many situated on private cul-de-sacs with a front porch, big bay windows and a white picket fence.

Now go even one step further. How about recreational activities or events that the whole family can bike to, a grocery store in the town square where you can walk to get a loaf of bread, or a child care center for children in their own neighborhood?

"This is the way neighborhoods were meant to be," Bigelow said. "They're not meant to be isolated communities."

If you want to get even closer to the center of activities, consider the Lofts at Hometown Aurora, near Town Center Park, with its water fountain, interactive water playground, pavilion, outdoor amphitheater and festivals, it truly is the center of the community.

Starting at $220,000, the contemporary lofts, 1,325 to 1,560 square feet, have two-bedrooms, two baths and a two-car attached garage.

Rowhouses also near Town Center Park and provides an open and urban living space, maintenance free, with two bedrooms, an office and three baths.

HomeTown Reserves is a newly innovative and eco-friendly neighborhood with all the same amenities as Hometown Aurora.

Bigelow hired a leading ecologist to create a land plan that would help rain and other surface water from leaving the community, and filters all surface water before returning back to its ground source, by using two design elements, bio-swales and rain gardens.

"Ten years ago, we struggled to get approval for certain things that were thought to be too radical," Venetis said. "But now people are beginning to understand."