Building & Design

One of the largest home builders in the US, KB Home, has announced that from 2009 all its new homes will meet ENERGY STAR certification criteria.

In the KB Home Sustainability Report, the company outlines the measures it has taken in recent years to make its building programme greener, including minimising waste during construction, using more recycled building materials and ENERGY STAR appliances.

Now, however, KB Home is promising that it will adhere to ENERGY STAR standards across the company, which cover energy efficient building processes, insulation and window specifications.

“We are committed to making sustainability an integral part of how we do business,” says Jeffrey Mezger, president and CEO of KB Home.

The company already offers buyers some energy efficiency technologies, such as tankless water heaters, but cost remains an issue with solar panels too expensive to make it onto the list of options.

“Our business requires a delicate balance between the societal need for affordably priced new homes and the environmental need to use our limited natural resources wisely,” says Mezger.

However, according to research presented at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Conference by McGraw-Hill Construction, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly homes are now appealing to middle class Americans keen to cut their fuel bills.

In the last three years, 330,000 homes have been built in the US that include some kind of green technology. This figure represents 6.2% of the total, which while still small is a big increase on the 1.8% in 2005.

“In the midst of the worst housing downturn since World War II, builders continue to see growth in demand for green and energy-efficient homes," Matt Belcher, a builder and representative of the NAHB, told US Congress earlier this month.

In the next five years, the market is expected to double from $40 billion to $70 billion, according to the research carried out by McGraw-Hill Construction.

“We have hit the tipping point for builders going green,” said Harvey M. Bernstein, McGraw-Hill Construction VP of industry analytics, alliances and strategic initiatives.

For further information:
www.kbhome.com/sustainability
www.construction.com/
www.analyticsstore.construction.com
www.nahb.org