Building more efficient homes can make life better and help save you money — but this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and focus, and we have spent decades creating new homes designed to offer greater comfort, well-being and savings. 

In fact, this enduring commitment has made KB Home one of the nation's top energy-efficient homebuilders. If you're wondering how efficiency is actually measured, the Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) Index scores holds the key, so let’s check it out.

Understanding Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index scores.

**A scoring system established by RESNET in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0.

This rating system is the industry standard to measure and calculate a home’s overall energy efficiency, so the results are very important to us, because they can impact (and elevate!) your quality of life, as well as your peace of mind. Remember, HERS is all about the numbers — the lower, the better.

And our numbers are really low, especially when compared to typical used homes. Our new homes’ average HERS Index score is 50, and when you see that a home built as recently as 2006 gets a HERS Index score of 100, and the average HERS score for a typical used home is 130, that’s pretty great.

The takeaway? Our low numbers equal big savings. Because our new homes are twice as energy efficient as a home built as recently as 2006, and 80% more energy efficient than a typical used home, you’ll spend less on utility bills, and that means extra money for something else. A home with lower scores and higher energy performance is also better for your well-being and the environment, and who doesn’t love that.

The KB Home Energy Savings Comparison™

The proof is in the numbers, and we make it easy to see the difference. For instance, when you’re viewing floor plans on our website, each one features an Energy Savings Comparison (ESC) so you can see upfront how much you could save with our energy-efficient homes. Simply put, the ESC offers a handy estimate of monthly energy costs, as well as estimated monthly savings when compared to a typical used home.

Additionally, there’s a slider that calculates your estimated savings over a period of time in your new KB home — one month, one year, 10 years and 30 years. When you review the numbers spanning the short and long-term, the results can be quite significant.

Low HERS Index scores and ENERGY STAR® certified homes.

Achieving a certain HERS Index score is also a requirement to deliver an ENERGY STAR® certified home, which is specifically built with materials and construction techniques that lower the cost of ownership. ENERGY STAR certified homes are also designed to be healthier, more comfortable and better for the environment than new homes without certification.

We’re also happy to share that we were the first builder to make a broad commitment to building ENERGY STAR certified new homes, a standard of energy performance achieved by fewer than 12% of new homes in America — KB has also built more ENERGY STAR certified homes than any other builder.

We’re here to help.

We know you probably have lots of questions when it comes to finding a home that’s just right for you — from construction materials to floor plans. And we’re here to help, so you better understand just what to expect and enjoy when you build a new home with us.