MPG-like home efficiency labels

Builders offer MPG-like home efficiency labels

Feb 14, 2011 - Just as cars are sold with miles-per-gallon labels, more new homes this year will sport labels estimating monthly energy bills.

KB Home, one of the nation's largest builders, announced Monday its plans to have an EPG (Energy Performance Guide) on each of its U.S. homes by the end of this month, and other production builders plan to follow.

"This is a game changer... Once it's out there, everyone will do it," says Jeffrey Mezger, the company' CEO. He says consumers will now understand that KB's homes, all of which meet Energy Star standards, will "perform better than resales down the street."

The push for an MPG-like label comes as U.S. home builders seek a competitive edge against low-price foreclosures, and as the U.S. government develops an efficiency score for existing homes. {continued}