Recently, I had the chance to speak with Brookfield Homes' San Diego/Riverside division president Steve Doyle and vice president of sales and marketing Lora Heramb about the company's new Rockrose community located in the Foothills master plan in Carlsbad, Calif. In Doyle's own words, here's what's special about the community:

"Our Rockrose community in Carlsbad is going to push the green and sustainable envelope in a big way. We are going to build a community (101 homes) where every home is a minimum of 35% above the California Energy Efficiency Regulations for Residential Construction. That's right, Title 24 plus 35%."

The company is incorporating elements of sustainability into everything from its landscape and irrigation design to its sales and marketing strategy. For example, about the only tangible marketing collateral buyers will lay their hands on is a 4"x4" card printed (in sustainable ink, of course) with the community's logo and directions to download the online brochure; the extra coolness factor comes from the fact that the card is made out of plant material and embedded with seeds, so when buyers are ready to chuck it, they can plant it instead.

But the real showpiece of the community is the company's line of "Eco-Savvy" homes, which not only showcase energy-efficient, water-saving, health-conscious, and other environmentally friendly products and building technologies but also include a solar option. With the solar technology, Doyle said the homes would perform at 45% above Title 24 energy standards.

One of the big questions I had about the launch of this community was why push the energy-efficiency envelope when (1) it's unclear whether buyers really will pay for the products and technologies and (2) neither the mortgage nor appraisal industries appear to be all that supportive of efforts in this direction.

According to Doyle and Heramb, there are two big reasons for pushing for the extra improved energy efficiency and sustainable design. First, it helps create a solid brand for the community, which is critical when considering that this community launch is actually a relaunch. The project was due to open in 2008, but it was shelved as the market stalled out. In 2009, the company dusted off the plan and spent the year working on creating a sustainably designed community.

Second, improved efficiency translates to lower costs to operate and that equals a competitive edge. A number of Brookfield competitors are producing homes 15% more energy efficient than regulation, but at 35% (or more) above regulation, Doyle and Heramb believe that the super energy efficiency selling proposition represents real, tangible value for buyers--even in a market like today's, where value is often used interchangeably with affordable.

And when you start to talk about the actual number of dollars that a buyer would have to hand over for the added efficiency, Doyle and Heramb said that through various rebate programs, they've been able to make the costs reasonable. "For $12,000 [extra], we can take you to a case-study home," Doyle said, referring to a home that would be 45% more energy efficient than regulation, complete with features such as solar technology and drought-resistant landscaping. And so when you look at the cost of the technology against the reduced cost of energy on a month-to-month basis, buyers are looking at a six-year payback, Heramb added.

Also helping to enhance the selling proposition is that the company has been able to work with its three major buyer financing partners to ensure that their buyers are rewarded for their purchase decision. The company has secured buyers between a $1,000 and $1,850 credit at closing, depending on which lender partner the buyer selects. I'm not sure that level of credit is exactly what the industry--or buyers, for that matter--was hoping for from the mortgage industry in terms of support, but it's definitely a perk for buyers that isn't always available. A step in the right direction, I think we can safely say.

But in discussing the financing part of a project like Rockrose, you really start to realize that for as much as it's a marketing ploy, it's also a major commitment from the builder to a building ideal. Rebate programs, which are critical to offsetting costs, are short-term incentives while community development is a long-term project. So, a pro forma that pencils today thanks to specific rebate programs may be in trouble in the future if those programs cease to exist.

"We can get a guarantee for more than about 12 months [on a rebate program]," Doyle explained. "We're taking that risk on our side."

For the moment, the strategy seems to playing out as well as the company could hope. The community is set to have its official opening around March 27, assuming the rain abates in the area so the model park can be built. Already the community has an interest list 550 names long, the so-called information trailer has opened, and 35 would-be buyers have begun the loan-approval process.