Building sustainable homes takes precision, strategy and vision. KB Home has been a premier green builder, committed to the cause of sustainability. At the Greenbuild Conference and Expo, Jacob Atalla, the vice president of sustainability at KB Home, spoke to the Builder Sustainability Forum audience about their strategy.
Atalla explained that KB Home has a multi-layered approach, which is broken down into four pivot points that are easier to communicate to buyers and throughout the organization. By creating a simple, strategic message to communicate, the company produces more internal ambassadors to achieve their goals.
1. Homes built for saving money and energy.
2. Water conserving homes deliver savings in every drop.
3. Healthier homes provide cleaner indoor air.
4. Smarter homes built with the future in mind.
These four objectives do not come easily though. Atalla explains intensive research and development leads to best-in-class practices. For instance, KB scoured the globe for gray-water best practices that were found and brought back from Australia.
KB Home most likely wouldn’t have a focus on sustainability if it didn’t make sense to the business. Atalla outlined why it makes sense for KB Home and other builders to keep an eye on green. First, consumers are interested. They see rising oil prices and they want something to balance that. So, builders are backed by consumer demand. Plus, builders are encouraged by incentives and tax credits. Then, another motivation is lower energy bills. And, finally, a not entirely proven but very attractive motivator is decreased costs through lower total cost of ownership.
Atalla cited a survey that said that during the recession, homes that were seen as sustainable weathered the recession better than homes that had a $400 or $500 utility bill per month. The first defaults started showing when people couldn’t pay their utility bills. The study showed less defaults in energy efficient homes without the hefty energy bills.
Now, some of the motivators are changing slightly and there is a shift in the builder conversation – instead of saving, the industry has moved to giving. Atalla explains the concept of restorative housing as an example of giving.
The Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt is a great example of these trends and the execution of housing that is attainable with practical advancements that can be shared with consumers on a large scale. This dual-fuel home runs on solar and a fuel-cell system that is backed up by an energy storage system. The home also boasts a water efficiency and recycling management system that includes real-time information display and leak detection.
For more information on the Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt, visit www.builderonline.com/kbhomeprojeKt.
