Palm Harbor Homes, Inc. announced that the Company has received the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) first Energy Smart label. The label was placed on the electrical panel box of the Bimini at the 2008 International Builders Show (IBS) in Orlando, Florida, on February 14, 2008. The U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman placed the Energy Smart label on the box while attending the IBS show to launch the Department’s Builders Challenge. This challenge calls for builders to construct 220,000 high performance, energy efficient homes by 2012.

The Bimini is rated at 57 HERS based on the Home Energy Rating System index developed by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). This 57 rating means that the home is 43 percent more energy efficient than the typical new home built today and, at 3,644 square feet, the home has an expected average bill of less than $150 per month for electricity and gas. The home itself qualifies for National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Award at the Gold Level and is expected to receive its gold certificate once the home is secured on its permanent foundation and the lot is inspected.

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