'Green' Houses Come Up Well Short in Phoenix

Elizabeth Whitman reports on the sage of broken promises association with "Zero Energy Ready" homes (as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy) built by Mandalay Homes in Phoenix.

Mandalay has built swaths of homes around the Phoenix metropolitan area, and Whitman is able to find horror stories in examples all over town.

"What initially confused, then frustrated, and now infuriates these Mandalay homeowners is how their houses passed a raft of inspections and certifications — not just by local code-enforcing authorities like the city of Phoenix, but also by third-party inspectors — to receive the DOE’s energy-efficiency stamp of approval," writes Whitman.

This fully researched feature article includes details of the history of the company, the political and regulatory environment that made Mandalay's abuses possible, and the group of homeowners who worked to bring Mandalay's failures to light.