Bosch Teams With Taurus Investment Holdings to Launch Energy Smart Housing Community in Austin, Texas

• Bosch is a strategic partner in Taurus' EcoSmart Solution (ESS) subsidiary, providing efficient heating/cooling/hot water solutions and home appliances
• Phase 1 opens 2nd Quarter 2015, including 240 homes connected to ESS program 
• Community to help city of Austin meet 2050 target to reduce CO2 emissions to zero

LAS VEGAS – Bosch has partnered with Taurus Investment Holdings, a Boston-based real estate development company backed by private investors, to equip a new 7,500 home master-planned community outside Austin, Texas, with efficient geothermal heat pumps, hot water systems and quiet, premium design appliances. Company executives announced the partnership at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) during Design & Construction Week 2015, taking place January 20-22, 2015 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The new community, appropriately called Whisper Valley, will eventually include some 7,500 net-zero ready single and multi-family homes and apartments, plus 2+ million square feet of retail and office space across 2,062 acres (900 hectares). All structures will be geothermal and solar equipped, capable of achieving the Net Zero energy (or carbon neutral) standard adopted by the City of Austin’s Municipal Building Code for all new construction homes. The project is one of the ten biggest developments of its kind in the U.S. 

“Whisper Valley is a very significant project for Bosch in North America and we are delighted to partner with Taurus,” said Mike Mansuetti, president, Robert Bosch LLC. “It’s a perfect blueprint for new energy-smart communities with a keen focus on con-serving resources. Families who live in the Whisper Valley community will save energy and have a reduced carbon footprint. The children who grow up in these homes will inherently help promote a more sustainable future. Bosch has long been committed to sustainability. With our portfolio of smart and efficient products and solutions, we fulfill our company imperative, ‘Invented for Life.’”

“The alliance with Bosch is essential to delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable technologies to homeowners across the U.S.,” said Lorenz Reibling, Chairman and Founding Partner of Taurus Investment Holdings LLC. “EcoSmart, in conjunction with Bosch, is providing a complete one stop solution package to meet Zero-Energy Standards. Homeowners will benefit from increased value for each home. The program is an insurance against rising energy costs.” 
 

Unique EcoSmart Solution

Bosch, along with other manufacturing partners BASF, Rehau, Lighting Science Group Corp. and Aten Solar, are part of Taurus’ EcoSmart Solution LP (ESS) subsidiary, which develops and implements alternative energy structure programs in large-scale real estate projects. The ESS network includes technology, construction, communications and finance companies, among others.

The ESS solution is being applied to Whisper Valley to meet a growing demand by energy-conscious homebuyers who seek to lock in lower costs for energy by employing ground-source geothermal technology for heating and cooling the home together with solar energy generation. Combining geothermal with solar is the most effective way to achieve NetZero energy use. 

Whisper Valley homeowners will incur no upfront costs for the geothermal system, as the ground loop infrastructure is pre-installed throughout the community. Homeowners will enjoy peace of mind with an extended warranty and no maintenance costs for the first three years. Their energy costs will be fixed at approximately $175 a month, which covers the costs of the geothermal infrastructure equipment, a solar PV system, LED-Lighting package, appliances and other technologies and includes a maintenance service. With a combined geothermal-solar system, many buildings can achieve Zero Net Energy status, and a homeowner’s utility-supplied energy use will be minimal to none as they return excess solar-generated energy to the grid. The savings in utility electricity costs will be equal to or greater than the monthly ESS energy fee. The EcoSmart program delivers the value of energy efficient technologies without requiring upfront costs for the homeowner or builder.
 

Helping Austin become NetZero

Located in Austin’s “Preferred Development Zone” east of downtown and adjacent to State Highway 130, homes in Whisper Valley will initially be priced between $175,000 and $300,000 including the EcoSmart Program. 

Austin was selected for the development of this smart energy community because of a number of characteristics, including cost of land, housing demand within the nation’s fastest growing city, a vibrant economy led by IT and technology companies and a mandate to meet a NetZero Standard with all new construction. Austin has established a 2050 target to reduce carbon emissions to zero. 
 

Smart, Sustainable Suite of Solutions

Bosch geothermal heat pumps will be connected from each home to an underground heat-exchange-loop infrastructure system, consisting of geothermal boreholes that utilize the earth’s stored energy from the sun. As ground and water temperatures several feet below the earth’s surface remain constant throughout the year, geothermal energy is one of the most effective and cost-efficient renewable forms of energy. Whisper Valley homes will also utilize Bosch heat-pump hot water heaters to supply whole house hot water, further leveraging the benefits of a geothermal solution. 

Community homes will also include an array of ENERGY STAR® rated kitchen appliances from Bosch. Known as the definitive European kitchen design brand, the award-winning Bosch portfolio uses sleek, European design and the latest in green technology to meet the needs of every lifestyle, including those interested in efficient appliances in a well designed package. With a product lineup that includes ENERGY STAR rated dishwashers, washers and refrigerators and ventilation, Bosch is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Appliances in 2009 and 20010 and is proud to be recognized with the Sustained Excellence Award on 2001, 2012, 2013 and 2014. 

Bosch’s partnership with Taurus Investment Holdings in the Whisper Valley project supports the company’s strategy to bundle a range of its sustainable, smart, secure products and services for the developer, builder and homeowner. Bosch thermotechnology, appliances, security systems, automotive service solutions and power tools divisions together offer a relevant solutions suite for the ecoconscious developer/builder. Engineered and efficient solutions from one trusted source can yield synergies that deliver greater customer satisfaction and cost savings, while reducing the impact on the environment. 

For more information on Taurus Investment Holdings, visit www.tiholdings.com.

For more information on Whisper Valley, visit www.WhisperValleyAustin.com.

About Bosch
In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket solutions, industrial drives and control technology, power tools, security and communication systems, packaging technology, thermotechnology, household appliances, healthcare telemedicine and software solutions. 

Having established a regional presence in 1906, Bosch employs 24,600 associates in more than 100 locations, with consolidated sales of $10.4 billion in 2013. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com, www.bosch.com.mx and www.bosch.ca.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In 2013, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.1 billion euros ($61.2 billion). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, Bosch invested some 4.5 billion euros ($6.0 billion) in research and development and applied for some 5,000 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.” Additional information on the global organization is available online at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and http://twitter.com/BoschPresse. 

*Due to a change in accounting policies, 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with 2012 figures. The decision to forego the application of proportionate consolidation affects mainly BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH and ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (2013 consolidated sales volume of some $9.7 billion). 2013 exchange rate: 1 EUR = $1.32812.

About Taurus Investment Holdings
Headquartered in Boston, Taurus Investment Holdings operates in 16 markets on four continents. Founded in Munich, Germany in 1976, the company has purchased and sold more than 20 million square feet (1.8 million square meters) of residential, office, industrial, retail and other commercial real estate assets throughout the world.


Bosch Partners with Taurus Investment Holdings - January 2015