Valley homebuilder emphasizes solar

Nestled at the foot of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, a magnificant estate blends into the landscape, but its real color is green.

Tom Fitgerald owns Belmont Homes and built this house and 35 other high-end custom houses in the Valley with energy efficiency in mind and a lot of high-tech gadgets.

"You can actually walk around this house with a little palm device, and turn your lights on and off, turn your air conditioning on and off, you can actually turn the fireplaces on and off, your pool, your TVs," Fitzgerald said.

The 7,000-square-foot home, priced at $2.6 million, has energy efficient windows and specialized duct work to keep it cooler. It has special lighting and desert landscaping with some artificial turf to save water.

Fitzgerald is passionate about solar energy and owns the company, Solar Energy of Arizona.

"Our natural resource here in Arizona is the sun," he said. "It just makes no sense with all the rebates, with everything that's going on out there, why more people don't take advantage of it. A lot of people are. I've lived here all my life, and I just love the fact that we can take advantage of it and have free electricity and a lot of other advantages, too. I'm very passionate about it."

The Scottsdale home has about 80 solar panels, which will provide 80 percent of the home's energy.

"Utility bills keep going up and up," Fitzgerald said. "If you put solar panels on your house and produce your own electricity, you're locked in for the next 25 years, because these panels are warranteed for 25 years."

Fitzgerald has built six custom homes with solar panels. He said utility bills are less than half, although the equipment is pricey initially.

"Energy efficiency, green building, costs more, but it pays for itself in the long run," he said.

He does not believe green building is a fad.

"Finally, people are trying to do what they can to save and to contribute," Fitzgerald said.

On the net:

• www.belmont.customhomes.com