This story was originally published in Builder.

KB Home (NYSE:KBH) has been named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award Winner for the ninth consecutive year.

To date, KB Home has built more than 128,000 ENERGY STAR homes, which has resulted in cumulative savings on utility bills for KB homeowners totaling more than $730 million. The energy-efficient features of these homes have also prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the amount emitted by 420,000 passenger vehicles. ENERGY STAR homes must meet EPA’s rigorous requirements for energy efficiency and undergo third-party testing and verification.

KB Home takes a broad approach to sustainability, encompassing energy efficiency, water conservation, healthier indoor environments, smart home capabilities and waste reduction. KB Home is the only national builder to have earned awards under all of EPA programs aimed at homebuilders—ENERGY STAR, WaterSense®, which establishes water efficiency standards, and Indoor airPLUS, which focuses on indoor air quality. KB Home continuously explores new ways to increase the efficiency of its homes and expand its impact in the area of sustainability within the home building industry and beyond.

“KB Home has consistently focused its attention on implementing dynamic and innovative solutions to address affordability and environmental sustainability challenges in the home building industry,” said Jeffrey Mezger, KB Home chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “For nearly two decades, our participation in the ENERGY STAR program has helped to meaningfully reduce long-term operating and maintenance costs for our KB homeowners while also benefiting the environment. We are very pleased to again be recognized by EPA for our achievements, and we look forward to building on our success and further advancing our sustainability initiatives.”

This story was originally published in Builder.