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KB Home Receives ENERGY STAR® Awards From Environmental Protection Agency

Business Wire,  June 27, 2008  

Eight KB Home Divisions Recognized for Building Homes That Protect the Environment

LOS ANGELES -- KB Home (NYSE: KBH), one of the nation's largest homebuilders, is pleased to announce that eight of its divisions across the United States have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2008 ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing Award. KB Home's Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio and Southern California divisions each were recognized for their important contribution to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection by building ENERGY STAR qualified homes in 2007.

In 2007, KB Home built 7,467 ENERGY STAR qualified homes across the country as part of its "My Home. My Earth.[TM]" environmental initiative. Collectively, these homes will save KB Home homeowners approximately $3.3 million on annual utility bills. The environmental benefits of these ENERGY STAR qualified homes are the equivalent of:

* Eliminating the emissions from 3,658 vehicles

* Saving 22 million pounds of coal

* Planting 6,048 acres of trees

* Saving the environment 43 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year

"We appreciate the EPA's recognition of our leadership in building quality, energy-efficient homes for our homebuyers," said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. "Building homes that meet the ENERGY STAR standard delivers on our commitments to the environment and our homebuyers by offering the ultimate in value and choice."

According to Sam Rashkin, National Director of ENERGY STAR for Homes, "ENERGY STAR qualified homes are better homes that cost less to own, protect our environment, reduce our reliance on imported energy, and improve our economy. Leadership in Housing award recipients are making a meaningful difference at this critical time in our country's history."

Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR qualification meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA. ENERGY STAR qualified 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. ENERGY STAR qualified homes may include a variety of energy-efficient features, such as effective insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, more efficient heating and cooling equipment and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances.

"We continue to work toward our goal of becoming a leading environmentally friendly homebuilder, recognizing that there is much more for KB Home and the homebuilding industry to do in this area," said Mr. Mezger.

KB Home is focused on being a leading environmentally friendly national builder. The company was recently named #1 Green Homebuilder by the prestigious investment firm, Calvert Asset Management, and the Boston College Institute for Responsible Investment. This year, KB Home became the first of the nation's big builders to build new homes exclusively with ENERGY STAR qualified appliances.

About KB Home

KB Home, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, has been building quality homes for families for more than 50 years. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Company has operating divisions in nine states, building communities from coast to coast. KB Home, ranked the #1 homebuilder in FORTUNE magazine's 2008 list of America's Most Admired Companies[R], is a FORTUNE 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "KBH." For more information about any of KB Home's new home communities or complete mortgage services offered through Countrywide KB Home Loans, call 888-KB-HOMES or visit www.kbhome.com.

About ENERGY STAR

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 9,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning