Housing affordability is so elusive that Beazer Homes is rewriting the playbook

"Every Beazer home is built to the Energy Rated Value-a benchmark that exceeds building codes and emphasizes insulation, air filtration, and low humidity levels. "We pride ourselves on building beyond [local] energy codes so you are buying a home from the future today," Merrill says. "You don't want to buy a home that's functionally obsolete the day you close." Beazer sees this as more than a sustainability move-it's a financial one. Lower energy bills directly reduce a homeowner's monthly cost of living,"

"I want to sell you a home that costs you less every month to live in-and one that will still hold its value five or ten years from now." Beazer's plan focuses on three key areas: lowering the cost to power, insure, and finance a home. "If you can take $150 or $200 a month out of your operating cost [monthly payment], that's real affordability," Merrill said. "We're not trying to sell you less house-we're trying to sell you a better, more efficient one.""

Beazer Homes rejects shrinking or downgrading houses as an affordability strategy and instead targets lower monthly costs through reduced energy, insurance, and financing expenses. The company builds every home to an Energy Rated Value that exceeds local building codes, emphasizing insulation, air filtration, and low humidity levels. Higher efficiency aims to avoid functional obsolescence and lower utility bills, creating material savings for homeowners. The builder projects monthly operating-cost reductions of roughly $150–$200, translating into thousands of dollars in present value over a loan. The goal is homes that cost less to live in while retaining value over five to ten years.

Read at Fast Company