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Beazer Homes Becomes Principal Sponsor for Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon 2007

September 26, 2007 at 9:02 AM EDT

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2007--The College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology is pleased to announce Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE: BZH) (www.beazer.com), one of the nation's top 10 homebuilders, as the principal sponsor of the Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon House. The house is being built by Georgia Tech students and faculty for the upcoming 2007 Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, D.C.

The Solar Decathlon is an international competition between 20 universities to design, build, transport and commission an 800-square foot, solar-powered house on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in October 2007. Using the latest and most efficient technologies, the house is designed to function completely off the energy grid. The competition provides Georgia Tech students an exceptional opportunity to research, design, build, and test a high-performance zero-energy house.

As part of its support, Beazer Homes is providing volunteers to give construction guidance to the Georgia Tech team. Additionally, the company is providing financial support for the students who will travel to Washington to participate in the three-week competition.

"Beazer Homes brings decades of home construction expertise to the Solar Decathlon project, which has proven invaluable to the team. Their volunteers are a tremendous resource for the students and faculty alike," said Doug Allen, interim dean of the College of Architecture. "Their practical, real world home construction knowledge is providing help where we need it most."

According to Ian McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of Beazer Homes, the Solar Decathlon project is a natural extension of Beazer's move toward more sustainable building practices and provides an ideal forum for the exchange of ideas that will help the company better understand what is marketable in the future. Beazer already has built homes with solar panels and tested zero energy homes in communities in California.

"We have done extensive research with homeowners across the country to gain a better understanding of their thoughts and concerns related to sustainability and energy conservation," said McCarthy. "Our goal is to satisfy the needs of customers in ways that are practical, sustainable and affordable."

Georgia Tech's Solar Decathlon team is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative, reaching nearly all corners of the university. It is comprised of a large number of students, faculty and staff across the institute, as well as several consultants. Specifically, the team includes four institute level partners, participation by four of the six colleges at Georgia Tech, and the support of three research centers. The Tech team also includes three project managers; seven faculty advisors; more than 80 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students; and four consultants.

Georgia Tech is the only university in the southeast selected to participate in this competition. The College of Architecture is leading Georgia Tech's effort and working in collaboration with faculty and undergraduate, graduate and doctorial students from the Colleges of Engineering, Management and Sciences. Participation in the Solar Decathlon competition underscores Georgia Tech's commitment to sustainability research, finding technology-based solutions to the world's problems, and providing its students with the highest quality interdisciplinary education.

Beazer Homes USA Inc.

Beazer Homes USA Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the country's 10 largest single-family homebuilders with operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia and also provides mortgage origination and title services to its homebuyers. Beazer Homes, a Fortune 500 company, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BZH."

The Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's premiere research universities. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, Georgia Tech's more than 18,000 students are enrolled in its Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Management and Sciences. Tech is among the nation's top producers of women and African-American engineers. The Institute offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students and is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary units plus the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

CONTACT: Georgia Tech
Media Contact:
Matt Nagel
404-894-7460
mattnagel@gatech.edu
or
Beazer Homes
Media Contact:
Mandy Brooks
770-829-3700
mbrooks@beazer.com

SOURCE: Beazer Homes USA, Inc.