KB Home, which was recently recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with 10 Energy Star Leadership in Housing Awards, has announced it is moving beyond energy conservation to include the EPA's WaterSense guidelines in the homes it builds.
According to the EPA, WaterSense labeled new homes use 20 percent less water than conventional new homes and can save homeowners more than 10,000 gallons of water per year. WaterSense homes allow homeowners to significantly reduce their water and energy consumption, resulting in lower monthly utility bills.
KB Home currently includes WaterSense bathroom lavatory faucets as standard features in all its new homes. With its new commitment to the WaterSense program, KB Home will incorporate additional water-efficient products and features inside and outside its homes at select communities that meet the full WaterSense guidelines – at no additional cost to the homebuyer.
“KB Home is proud to collaborate with the EPA to set a benchmark standard and build consumer awareness of the benefits of water-saving features in new homes,” Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home, said in a press release. “We believe that much like how the EPA’s Energy Star qualification has raised awareness among consumers regarding energy-efficiency, the WaterSense program will heighten consumers’ sensitivity to water consumption.”
As for its Energy Star award, KB Home was recognized for building Energy Star qualified homes in Arizona, Central Florida, Central Texas, Colorado, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern California during 2009. Collectively, the homes built by KB Home in these markets will save homeowners approximately $2.3 million on utility bills each year.
An Energy Star qualified home can reduce energy consumption and utility costs by as much as 45 percent compared to a home built as recently as the 1990s. Since KB Home became an Energy Star partner in 2001, the company has built more than 55,000 Energy Star qualified homes. Typically, those homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30 percent more efficient than standard homes.
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