LOS ANGELES, CA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named KB Home as a 2010 Excellence in ENERGY STAR® Promotion Award winner for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by educating new home buyers about the value of choosing an ENERGY STAR qualified home. KB Home's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2010
KB Home, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2001, is being honored for its work building homes that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines and communicating the features and benefits of these homes to customers. Beginning in 2009, KB Home committed to building exclusively ENERGY STAR qualified homes in all newly opened communities, the first major builder to do so. In 2009, over 60% of the homes built by KB Home were ENERGY STAR qualified, saving buyers as much as 45% on their utility bills compared to owners of homes built as recently as the 1990s. Over the lifetime of its partnership with ENERGY STAR, KB Home has built more than 55,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes.
Last year alone, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR saved $17 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.
"The EPA's ENERGY STAR rating has become synonymous with energy efficiency and cost savings, and we are proud to build every one of our new communities to these strict guidelines," said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. "Through our ongoing efforts to educate our customers, KB Home homebuyers recognize the many positive attributes of owning an ENERGY STAR qualified home, including lower day-to-day operating costs and a reduced impact on the environment."
The Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
"Thanks to partners like KB Home that build ENERGY STAR qualified homes, American home buyers can choose more comfortable homes that also help them save money and protect the environment," said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. "In 2009, the nation reached the milestone of one million ENERGY STAR qualified homes built since the program's inception."
KB Home, one of the nation's premier homebuilders, has delivered over half a million 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. This marks the second year in a row and the third time in the past four years that KB Home has achieved the top ranking. The Company trades under the ticker symbol "KBH" and was the first homebuilder listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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 17,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses.
Source: KB Home