Twenty five years ago today, a man saw his lifelong dream start to take shape when American West first opened its doors. American West originated with a young man of modest means whose family dreamed of owning a home. His goal became providing homes to families like his own. That man is Larry Canarelli and he has devoted himself and his company to building homes for the families of Southern Nevada. 

As a local, family owned company, we take great pride in the over 72 communities we have built in Las Vegas and the more than 15,000 families who have moved into an American West home. Every American West employee lives in Las Vegas and this has allowed us to be a part of our homeowners lives long after we hand them the keys to their new home. It is thrilling to see many of these families buy their first home from us and as their family grows watch them continue to move up to another American West home. A home built by American West is much more than four walls, a roof and a foundation. It is becoming a part of the American West family and knowing that your new home is built by a company who has been a part of Las Vegas for 25 years and who plan on being here for well beyond another 25 years. 

Larry attributes the success of American West  his dedicated employees, subcontractors and to our homeowners. Nobody could ask for a better lifelong ambition than to help make the dream of a new home come true for the families of Las Vegas. We send a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped contribute to our success over the past 25 years and here’s looking forward to the next 25 years!

American West is joining forces with Nevada Energy to increase energy efficiency in our communities through the Energy Plus New Homes Program.  The program certifies homes with energy-efficiency standards that exceed both state building codes and the well-known Energy Star program. 

“American West is committed to building quality homes that our buyers are proud to own. Our homes will be certified Energy Plus,” said American West President Larry Canarelli. “It’s responsible building and American West is proud to participate.” 

So how does the Energy Plus New Homes Program beat Energy Star guidelines? New homes are rated on the EnergySmart scale developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The scale is based on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index that evaluates a home’s energy consumption. While Energy Star homes must meet a score of 85 on the scale, Energy Plus homes are certified at 70. In this case, the lower the score, the higher the efficiency. 

Energy Plus Homes are approximately 30% more energy efficient than code-built homes.  More efficient homes save you money and reduce your energy carbon footprint. 

All of American West’s energy-efficient features are included in our homes. These features include: Carrier® 14-SEER natural gas heat and electric central air-conditioning with Puron®, the environmentally sound refrigerant; R13 insulation in exterior walls and R30 in ceilings;  energy-efficient radiant-heat barrier roof sheathing; PROInstaller E2S Complete Weatherproofing System; fully-insulated, fiberglass, front-entry door; vinyl-framed, dual-paned, Low-E windows and sliding glass doors; 50-gallon, quick-recovery, natural-gas water heater; and water-conserving Moen faucets and showerheads.

“It’s an impressive list of energy-conserving products. These products are in addition to the building practices and products we already utilize to meet Energy Star standards and they come at no extra cost to the homebuyer,” said Canarelli. “Our homes are twice as energy efficient as a home that only qualifies as Energy Star.”