The City of Arlington's non-profit homebuilder is experimenting with structural insulated panels (SIPS) to build an affordable single-family home on Biggs Terrace in East Arlington.

The Tarrant County Housing Partnership (TCHP) has teamed up with the City of Arlington to build one of the city's first homes using an energy-efficient Structural Insulated Panel system (SIP).

SIPs create tight, well-insulated, stable housing structures which resist fire, wind, insects, and decay. TCHP purchased the panels for this home from Korwall Industries, Inc., located in Arlington.

Building this type of home will provide tremendous savings to the homeowners, with estimated energy costs to be about 80 percent lower than typical electric bills. Funding for this project was made possible by a City of Arlington HOME grant to TCHP. HOME funds are made available to the City of Arlington each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"The City of Arlington is very excited to see this type of energy-efficient home being built and look forward to building many more in the future," said Angela Norman, Grants Supervisor for the City of Arlington. "Our goal is to ensure optimal quality and sustainability on this project, which is one of several energy-efficient, single-family homes planned for the city."

The new homes will assist qualified low- to moderate-income families purchase their first home. Norman says the new home should take approximately two more months to complete.