KB Home will build all new home communities in 2009 and beyond under Energy Star guidelines. These new homes are designed to heat and cool efficiently, use less energy and provide substantial savings for homebuyers. The Energy Star guidelines 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.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Energy Star qualified homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes, allowing homeowners to reduce both their carbon footprint and monthly utility bills.
We believe today’s buyers want homes that are both energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly, said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. By meeting this expectation, we are driving down a buyer’s energy costs, which makes home ownership even more affordable, and are also contributing to increased environmental responsibility, which improves quality of life for everyone.
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.
To get designation as an Energy Star qualified home, a third party must verify that the home meets a set of strict requirements developed by the EPA.
The company’s Built to Order method makes it possible for homebuyers to include even more environmentally-friendly products into their new homes. At the KB Home Studio, KB Home is working to instruct buyers so they can further reduce their energy bills and reduce their consumption of natural resources by choosing options from the Company’s My Home. My Earth.(R) program, launched in February 2007. A range of eco-friendly options are offered in four categories – Energy Efficiency, Inside Environment, Water Wise and Sustainable Sources.
In 2008, the company has become the first major homebuilder to build with Energy Star qualified appliances in every one of its new homes. Energy Star appliances are around 15% more efficient than standard appliances. By expanding that commitment to building all Energy Star qualified homes in new communities opening in 2009, KB Home moves towards its set objective to become environmentally-friendly company.