All KB homes provide Energy Performance Guide

The total cost of homeownership can fluctuate greatly -- with monthly mortgage payments, taxes and other monthly bills, like utility costs.

KB Home is providing its Energy Performance Guide, or EPG, -- a numerical rating of a home's energy efficiency and an estimate of monthly electric and gas costs -- for every home it sells.

with every new home it sells, including those at its 18 communities in the Las Vegas area. The EPG allows buyers to better understand what their monthly expenses will be.

KB Home officials say the company is the first among national builder in the industry to provide such a rating for all its homes.

The EPG is similar to the miles per gallon rating or, mpg, which reflects an automobile's fuel efficiency, and is a standard disclosure when purchasing a vehicle.

The EPG informs homeowners and prospective buyers about the relative energy efficiency of a KB home. It also provides them with an estimated dollar amount for monthly electric and/or gas energy costs for the home, according to company officials.

The KB Home EPG is posted in all of the builder's model homes and presented to buyers when they purchase a home.

KB offers Remington, a gated community, which is located in the northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley, or Kingwood Crest, a new community in Summerlin.

The builder is offering a complete backyard landscaping package for homebuyers who purchase before April 2.

KB Home offers its Built to Order program, which is available at all of its Vegas Valley neighborhoods. The program lets homebuyers choose their neighborhood, homesite and interior design details.

Homebuyers can work with design consultants at the KB Home Studio, a retail-like showroom, which offers a variety of interior and exterior design selections.

All new KB homes in Las Vegas are built to NV Energy's Energy Plus standards as well as Energy Star guidelines. Features like programmable thermostats, radiant-barrier roof lining, low-e windows and efficient heating and cooling systems all help keep household energy utility bills low. According to company officials, a new Energy Star qualified KB home is up to 45 percent more efficient than a home built as recently as the 1990s.

For more information, call 888-KB-HOMES or visit kbhome.co