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EPA certifies Gentry Homes
as being energy-efficient builder

GENTRY Homes Ltd. is the first Oahu residential real estate developer to be awarded an Energy Star certification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The designation is awarded based on a national EPA energy-performance rating system and accounts for power-conserving features built into homes.

"When we started planning for the next neighborhoods in the Ewa by Gentry master-planned community, our goal was to provide value to our customers through innovative design and technology at an affordable price," said Rick Hobson, vice president of sales and marketing for Gentry.

Gentry's new Montecito and Tuscany developments include Hawaiian Electric Co.-approved solar water heating systems and other technologies and design features that contributed to the award, said Ron Richmond, HECO residential program analyst, in a statement.

The water heater alone can save a family of four $480 a year on its electric bill, he said.

OnStar cars

The button-pushing, car-winning national OnStar promotion has awarded new vehicles to three Hawaii drivers and it isn't over yet.

Cutter Pontiac Buick GMC in Waipahu had two winners May 7 during a Military Appreciation Day event. Kalani Kaku won a GMC Envoy and Glenn Murata won a Buick LaCrosse. Waipahu Auto Co., a Toyota, Chevrolet and Suzuki dealership owned by Servco Pacific Inc., also got itself a winner, though his or her name was unavailable late yesterday afternoon. The winner's Chevy Silverado truck will be delivered in December.

This year's OnStar promotion will award 1,000 General Motors vehicles to contestants who push the OnStar driver-assistance-button at participating dealerships. The contest ends May 31.

Hawaii's two winners last year did their button pushing at Waipahu Auto.