Meritage says 12 energy-saving projects underway

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Meritage Homes Corp said it has 12 more of the communities it is touting as especially energy efficient, a company vice president told Reuters on Thursday.

The ninth-largest U.S. homebuilder opened its first such community, Lyon's Gate near Phoenix, in late June, claiming the homes are 80 percent more energy-efficient than a typical home due to the use of such features as spray foam insulation and a solar electric and thermal system.

With a pricetag of at most $180,000, Meritage designed the homes to compete with the market's median resale price, said C.R. Herro, the company's vice president for environmental affairs.

"This enables us to capture marketshare that would have been chasing bargain basement prices in the resale market," he added.

(Reporting by Helen Chernikoff; editing by Andre Grenon)