LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KB Home (NYSE: KBH), one of the nation’s premier homebuilders, today announced that it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a company-record twelve 2011 ENERGY STAR® Leadership in Housing Awards. The awards honor the important contributions KB Home has made to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection. KB Home has built more than 62,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes since joining the program in 2000.
“The new homes we are building today deliver more than quality, beauty and functionality – these homes can also help our homeowners save money on their utility bills while protecting the environment,” said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. “KB Home was the first national builder to commit to building all of our new home communities to ENERGY STAR guidelines, and we have continued to lead the industry with innovative initiatives such as the KB Home Energy Performance Guide, which for the first time estimates the potential financial benefit of our energy-efficient homes versus a typical new or resale home.”
KB Home currently builds ENERGY STAR qualified homes in all of its markets and received the awards for the homes it built last year in Southern California, Northern California, Las Vegas, Arizona, Colorado, Central Texas, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Central Florida, Jacksonville, North Carolina and South Carolina. According to EPA estimates, the 6,600 ENERGY STAR qualified homes KB Home built in 2010 could help those homeowners save nearly $3 million dollars on utility bills each year, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from over 3,000 vehicles.
To earn the ENERGY STAR qualification, homes must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as verified through a third-party inspection process. Standard energy-saving features that all ENERGY STAR qualified, Built to Order™ KB homes offer homebuyers include effective insulation systems, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, properly-sized and installed efficient heating and cooling equipment, ENERGY STAR appliances, programmable thermostats and radiant barrier roofing.
All ENERGY STAR qualified KB homes also include the KB Home Energy Performance Guide™ (EPG). Similar to the miles per gallon rating or MPG, which reflects fuel efficiency and is standard when purchasing a new car, the KB Home EPG informs prospective buyers about the relative energy efficiency of a KB home versus a typical new or resale home, and provides them with an estimated dollar amount for the monthly electric and/or gas energy costs for the home as designed.
“While other builders may claim to build energy-efficient homes, ENERGY STAR builder partners back it up,” said Jonathan Passe, Acting Manager for EPA’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch. “Their houses undergo a rigorous independent inspection and testing process to ensure that they deliver real efficiency, comfort, durability, and value for homebuyers.”
According to EPA estimates, last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR and partners, Americans saved about $18 billion on their utility bills and avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 33 million vehicles. Nearly 1.2 million ENERGY STAR homes have been built in the United States since the program first began labeling homes in 1995. KB Home alone has built over 62,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes since joining the program in 2000.
About KB Home
KB Home (NYSE: KBH), one of the nation's premier homebuilders, has delivered over half a million quality homes for families since its founding in 1957. The Los Angeles-based 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 has been named the #1 Green Homebuilder in a study by Calvert Investments and the #1 Homebuilder on FORTUNE magazine’s 2011 World’s Most Admired Companies list. 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.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 126,000 new homes were constructed to meet ENERGY STAR guidelines in 2010, by partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).