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A stretch of solar on a city street

The 19th-century house blends naturally with the rest of the Germantown block, mostly well-maintained red-brick rowhouses and mansard-roof twins, though a few properties with chipped paint, structural problems, and untended yards detract from the scene.

The 19th-century house blends naturally with the rest of the Germantown block, mostly well-maintained red-brick rowhouses and mansard-roof twins, though a few properties with chipped paint, structural problems, and untended yards detract from the scene.

But this 2,200-square-foot West Duval Street dwelling has one distinctive feature: 12 solar panels.

The Fernandez-Sheinbaum family added the alternative-energy system in May 2011, more than four years after buying the house. The system turns on when the sun is out, said Odamis Fernandez-Sheinbaum.

"You don't even have to think about it," he said. "And people are always surprised at how much money we have saved."

Since going solar, Fernandez-Sheinbaum said, the family of four's utility bills have averaged $1,000 to $1,200 less per year. Other steps, such as weatherizing windows with plastic-sheet insulation and resealing caulking, helped, he said, but solar power likely contributed the most.

The savings were a bonus for Fernandez-Sheinbaum: "We wanted to be greener for our future."

Almost 21/2 years later, his vision is extending down the street, as an eco-friendly development firm breaks ground on its first project. Newearth L.L.C. (www.newearthdevelopment.net) is building two energy-efficient single-family homes with solar panels.

"My vision is to bring sustainable and green-building practices to Germantown," said Bob Warth, co-founder of Plymouth Meeting-based Newearth.

Warth has rehabbed three residential properties within a half-mile of West Duval since he began building houses in 2002, but this is his first green development. Along with the solar panels, the three-bedroom houses will have thicker-than-required insulation and Energy Star appliances, windows, and doors, he said.

On average, the system should provide about 410 kilowatt-hours each month, said William Newbold, also a Newearth cofounder. That adds up to nearly half of the 10,000 kilowatt-hours that a typical Pennsylvania resident consumes each year.

Building single-family houses with solar-panel systems is rare in Pennsylvania, said Ron Celentano, president of the Pennsylvania Solar Energy Industry Association.

"It wouldn't be unusual in California, or even possibly in New Jersey, but it is unusual here," he said.

Throughout PECO's service territory, about 2,400 residential and business customers use solar as an on-site energy resource, according to the utility.

Government incentives for homeowners do not apply to builders. Yet homeowners face high installation costs and receive little value for solar renewable-energy credits in Pennsylvania compared with other states, Celentano said.

Warth estimated that the solar panels added $12,000 in construction costs per home. Even with government rebates, Fernandez-Sheinbaum said, he spent about $10,000 on installation.

Still, the low price of property in Germantown offsets additional construction expenses and allows Newearth to sell the homes at affordable prices, Newbold said.

Newearth plans to list the 1,500-square-foot homes for about $240,000 in spring 2014, Warth said.

Though energy efficiency isn't a priority for many buyers, it distinguishes these homes from newly constructed residences nearby selling at similar or higher prices, said Ruth Feldman, a Weichert Realtors McCarthy Associates agent who has worked in Mount Airy and Germantown for more than 20 years.

"It is a big plus when [buyers] realize how much they will save in heating and electric bills," Feldman said. Warth estimated utilities would cost $1,600 to $1,800 a year in the houses, which will have two-story common areas with catwalks above.

It's too early to say whether the project will draw buyers, but the homes have at least one fan. "It is exciting to me that [my house] won't be the only house in the neighborhood with solar panels," Fernandez-Sheinbaum said.

If these are successful, Newearth plans to build four to six more energy-efficient homes in Germantown and Mount Airy.

215-854-2980@newsburd