National homebuilder, KB Home, announced today that every new home built in any existing and upcoming Dallas KB Home community would meet strict ENERGY STAR guidelines. The announcement came after a January 2009 study by WhiteFence.com found that the average monthly utility bill for a Dallas household was $378.27, this is the highest among the 20 U.S. metro markets included in the survey.
ENERGY STAR guidelines help create homes that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly; these homes leave a smaller carbon footprint and use fewer natural resources. In addition, ENERGY STAR qualified homes can reduce monthly energy bills by as much as 45%, which makes home ownership more affordable.
Earlier in the year, KB announced that every home nationwide in subdivisions opening in 2009 and beyond would be built to ENERGY STAR guidelines. The announcement today, involving Dallas homes, includes existing communities and jump-starts the builder’s initiative in building greener homes. It also helps distinguish KB Home as a market leader in green building.
An ENERGY STAR qualified home meets strict requirements developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is inspected by an independent third party. Requirements for an ENERGY STAR rating include enhanced insulation, high performance windows, tighter ducts and construction, improved heating and cooling equipment and energy-efficient appliances.
KB Home also offers a My Home. My Earth. program, which offers home buyers the opportunity to improve their homes energy efficiency beyond ENERGY STAR guidelines. As part of the My Home. My Earth. program, buyers choose features and products from four categories – Water Wise, Sustainable Sources, Inside Environment and Energy Efficiency. These products and features further enhance a home’s ability to conserve natural resources.
Read more about this announcement on Businesswire.com
We only use EnergyStar appliances in our home and usually manage to keep our monthly electricity bill under $100!
Any builders not going this route will probably be out of business over the next 10 years. This administration has really put their foot down on not only the banks and financial institutions, but also the power & oil companies.
This is great news for home buyers. I wish my home was more energy efficient. In fact, I've been thinking about adding more insulation and replacing my windows to help save on utility bill costs.