Withers Preserve, a walkable community coming to the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, will be the first in the nation to use General Electric’s new Ecomagination products - a line of appliances that save water and energy.

• Each home will save at least 20 percent on energy costs and on indoor water consumption. A control panel on the wall will let homeowners monitor how much water and energy they’re using.

• The eco-friendly appliances - including dishwashers, refrigerators and washers and dryers - come standard in the houses, and at least half of the indoor and outdoor lights will use lamps that use up to 75 percent less electricity than standard incandescent lighting.

• Solar panels will be an option in the homes, and homeowners can get financial incentives from GE Mortgage for purchasing a green home. The first phase of 60 single-family homes at Withers Preserve are selling for $500,000 to $600,000.

The 900-acre neighborhood of single-family homes, townhomes and condos will be within walking distance of shops and restaurants at The Market Common. Model houses are under construction.

Developer Robert O’Neel will join GE officials and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles on Thursday to announce the deal. The event will broadcast live in Myrtle Beach at the Withers Preserve sales center at 2 p.m.

Source: Jenny Burns, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

For more information on Withers Preserve – prices, availability, timing – contact Barbara Chartier by phone: 843-902-0204, or email: Barbara.Chartier@century21.com.