KB Home Now Building All New Homes in Dallas to Strict ENERGY STAR® Guidelines

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KB Home (NYSE:KBH), one of America’s largest homebuilders, today announced that all new homes in Dallas – in both new and existing communities – are being built to strict ENERGY STAR^® guidelines, allowing homeowners to reduce their carbon footprint and monthly energy bills in an area that leads the nation in average monthly utility costs.

“Homes built to ENERGY STAR guidelines drive down buyers’ energy costs, a welcome relief to our buyers in Dallas who last year paid the nation’s highest average utility bills.”

According to a January 2009 report by WhiteFence.com, the average monthly utility bills for Dallas households in 2008 were $378.27, the highest of the 20 U.S. metro markets surveyed in the report. WhiteFence.com is the largest and nation’s leading online comparison shopping marketplace for consumers looking to compare and order essential home services like electricity, cable, phone and internet.

“Dallas-area homebuyers want quality homes that are energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and affordable – both at the time of purchase and over the lifetime of operating the home. KB Home delivers on all counts,” said Don Barrineau, president of KB Home’s Dallas division. “Homes built to ENERGY STAR guidelines drive down buyers’ energy costs, a welcome relief to our buyers in Dallas who last year paid the nation’s highest average utility bills.”

Dallas-area KB Home homebuyers can further lower their energy bills and reduce their consumption of natural resources by choosing options from the Company’s My Home. My Earth.^® program in the KB Home Studio. A range of environmentally friendly options are offered in four categories – Energy Efficiency, Inside Environment, Water Wise and Sustainable Sources.

KB Home recently announced that all new home communities opening in 2009 and beyond will be built to ENERGY STAR guidelines nationwide. ENERGY STAR homes are engineered to heat and cool efficiently, use less energy, and provide substantial savings for homebuyers. In fact, ENERGY STAR qualified homes are up to 45% more energy-efficient than homes built as recently as 10 years ago, allowing buyers to reduce their carbon footprint and monthly utility bills for years to come.

“KB Home’s leadership in the area of energy efficiency is something that all businesses, regardless of the industry, should strive to emulate,” said Sam Rashkin, director of the ENERGY STAR^® for Homes program for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “As one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, KB Home has a unique opportunity to make a real impact on the environment through their commitment to building ENERGY STAR qualified homes. With this announcement, they have truly set the bar in the homebuilding industry and we hope more of the nation’s builders will follow their example.”

In order to be designated as an ENERGY STAR qualified home, a third party must verify that the home meets a set of strict requirements developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These criteria include effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment, energy-efficient products such as appliances, and compliance with a thermal bypass checklist.

About KB Home

KB Home, one of the nation's leading homebuilders, has delivered hundreds of thousands of quality homes for families since its founding in 1957. The Company is distinguished by its Built to Order™ homebuilding approach that puts a custom home experience within reach of its customers at an affordable price. KB Home's award-winning homes and communities meet the needs of first-time homebuyers with flexible designs that also appeal to move-up buyers and active adults. Los Angeles-based KB Home was named the #1 homebuilder on FORTUNE^® magazine's 2009 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for the second year in a row. The Company trades under the ticker symbol "KBH," and was the first homebuilder listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information about any of KB Home's new home communities call 888-KB-HOMES or visit www.kbhome.com.