Investors | News Releases | Take an eSMART High Performance Home for a Test Drive

INVESTOR
RELATIONS

Investor Relations

News Releases

Take an eSMART High Performance Home for a Test Drive

July 1, 2010 at 1:38 PM EDT
Beazer's Energy Efficient Homes Save Energy, Save Money

ATLANTA, GA, Jul 01, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --

Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH), one of the country's top-10 homebuilders, invites prospective homebuyers to take a "test drive" tour of its eSMART high performance homes to learn firsthand why they perform better than older houses or homes built to current code. As the first national builder to offer an energy-efficient, high-performance home as its standard, Beazer aims to help buyers understand the immediate and long-term savings potential of its eSMART new homes.

"Through proper home sealing, increased insulation and our eco-friendly enhancements, Beazer's eSMART homes perform better and help our buyers save money on energy costs now and for years to come," said Tony Callahan, senior vice president of planning and design for Beazer Homes.

Modeled after best practices from its award-winning "green home" building partner Imagine Homes of San Antonio, Beazer's eSMART homes can offer a 27 to 46 percent average energy cost savings over comparable houses built 10 to 15 years ago.

In designing and building its eSMART homes, Beazer takes a whole-house systems or integrated approach that starts with the home's envelope. According to building science experts, sealing and insulating the "envelope" or "shell" of the home -- the outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors -- is key to increasing energy efficiency and operating performance.

By properly sealing the home's envelope, Beazer minimizes air leakage in its homes. This is critical because air leaks carry both moisture and energy, usually in the direction you don't want. For example, air leaks can carry hot humid outdoor air into your house in the summer or air leaks allow the indoor heated air to escape during winter months.

"If you add up all of the holes and leaks in a typical home, it's comparable to having a full-size window open -- with energy flowing out -- 24 hours a day all year round," explained Callahan. "We seal around electrical boxes, plumbing, wiring and cable penetrations to the exterior walls using foam, caulk or tape. Proper sealing at all of these points is key to preventing air leakage."

When it comes to creating an airtight home envelope, proper sealing goes hand-in-hand with the home's insulation because insulation works best when air is not moving through or around it. Beazer's eSMART high performance homes include R-15 insulation in the framed wall cavities and R-38 in attic spaces, both of which are denser insulations than what is typically found in existing homes.

Additional energy-saving features incorporated into every Beazer eSMART high performance home at no additional costs to homebuyers include low-e windows, high-efficiency HVAC systems, programmable thermostats, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and an ENERGY STAR dishwasher. Additionally, Beazer includes a home energy monitor in every home that, with proper use, can decrease annual electricity costs from five to 15 percent.

To help conserve water, Beazer uses regionally-appropriate plants and only water-saving bath faucets and showerheads. To address indoor air quality, paints and carpets that emit lower Volatile Organize Compounds (VOCs) are used, and every home is equipped with high-efficiency MERV 8 air filters and carbon monoxide detectors.

For those homebuyers who want to accelerate their home's performance level even higher, Beazer offers an eSMART Plus option that includes a higher-efficiency HVAC system, dual flush toilets, supplementary ventilation for added comfort and an upgraded home radiant barrier in warmer climate zones.

To learn more visit www.Beazer.com or follow Beazer Homes on Twitter @BeazerHomes.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1298231

Contact
Mandy Brooks
mbrooks@beazer.com


SOURCE: Beazer Homes

mailto:mbrooks@beazer.com