West Melbourne home builder takes home top honors in Small Business category at annual Sustainable Florida Best Practice Awards
West Melbourne, FL – On October 9, 2014, LifeStyle Homes was honored to receive the Best Practice Award for its sustainability efforts by the statewide organization, Sustainable Florida. The awards ceremony took place at Streamsong Resort in Hardee County during Sustainable Florida’s annual Working on the Green Sustainability Summit.
LifeStyle Homes was nominated for Sustainable Florida’s Best Practice Awards for its deployment of the LifeStyle SunSmart℠ program and solar-powered homes. Developed in partnership with the scientists at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa in 2009, LifeStyle SunSmart℠ increases a home’s efficiency and performance by at least 40 percent with scientifically tested energy-efficient building components and practices. Today, all new LifeStyle homes are built to this higher standard. To date, the company has built nearly 300 LifeStyle SunSmart℠ homes for residents of Central Florida.
LifeStyle Homes was also recognized for completing nearly 30 solar-powered homes, many of which are zero-energy homes – meaning they produce as much clean energy as their owners consume.
Winners were selected by a team of independent judges from around Florida who reviewed and scored each nomination. Judges are experienced and knowledgeable in the fields of sustainability, energy, engineering, green building, corporate social responsibility, and government. This year’s categories included Small Business, Large Business, Government, Non-Profit, Green Building, Leadership, and Partnership.
“With 80 admirable applicants throughout the state of Florida who are all dedicated to sustainable business practices, LifeStyle Homes was honored to be a finalist in both the Small Business and Green Building categories,” said Larry Hufford, co-founder of LifeStyle Homes. “We are extremely proud and thrilled to have won in the Small Business category. It is our promise to continue to push for smart, sustainable construction practices in Brevard County and beyond with the help from our building science partners at the Florida Solar Energy Center.”
About LifeStyle Homes, Inc.
Founded in 1984, LifeStyle Homes, Inc. is a family-owned home builder on Florida’s East Coast. Each new home by LifeStyle is built SunSmart℠ and guaranteed to score a 60 or lower on the HERS Index. LifeStyle has won many awards for its solar-powered homes, including the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA)’s Aurora Award for the best solar-energy home, which was presented to LifeStyle at the 2011 Southeast Building Conference; as well as the North American Net Zero Energy Production Home of the Year, which was awarded by the Net Zero Energy Home Coalition.
About Sustainable Florida
Sustainable Florida is a non-profit organization that advances the vision of sustainability by identifying, supporting and communicating best management practices — those which protect and preserve Florida’s environment while building markets for Florida’s businesses by enhancing their competitive advantages today. Sustainable Florida promotes sustainable best management practices through collaborative educational efforts throughout Florida. These efforts include convening and working with regional grassroots sustainability organizations, and Florida’s colleges and universities.
