Most older homes across the nation are not equipped to deal with the electrical draw of upcoming electric vehicles. Retrofitting an older home to cope with EV charging can be costly. Some estimates predict that the cost of converting an older home to handle the high amperage draw of EVs could cost as much as $10,000, depending on the wiring within the individual home. However, if you are having a new home constructed, you are in luck.
KB Home, one of the nation's largest home builders will begin to offer the option of having newly built homes pre-wired for electric vehicle charging units. Wiring a home for electric vehicle charging while it's being built is a cost effective decision. KB Home estimates that pre-wiring a home during the construction period will only add an additional $250 to the cost of the home.
It's anticipated that many potential home owners will select the optional wiring as a method for future proofing their newly built homes. Even if the home owners don't anticipate owning an electric vehicle, the low cost wiring option should add to the future resale value of the home, making the option a wise economical choice.
Source: KB Home
PRESS RELEASE
KB HOME TO PRE-WIRE HOMES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES
New earth-friendly option available nationwide
allows for easy at-home charging of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
LOS ANGELES (March 9, 2010) - KB Home, one of America's premier homebuilders,
today announced that it will begin offering an option to pre-wire its new Built to OrderTM
homes to accommodate charging stations for homeowners' electric vehicles. This new
earth-friendly option is designed to ease the future installation of a station to charge an
electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle conveniently at home. The pre-wire option is now
available to KB Home homebuyers nationwide.
"KB Home is building new homes that are relevant to the way homebuyers are living -
now and in the future," said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB
Home. "This is just one of many innovative and earth-friendly options that homeowners
can choose from as part of KB Home's Built to Order experience. It's a great feature for
homebuyers who currently drive electric cars, or for those who want to build their new
home to accommodate these cars in the future."
The Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to drive the
efficient and restorative use of resources, recently launched Project Get Ready, a
program that aims to help communities prepare for and support plug-in vehicles.
"It is critical for the mass adoption of electric vehicles to have companies like KB Home
leading the industry by offering this pre-wire option, as the majority of electric vehicle
charging will be done at home overnight," said Matt Mattila, Project Manager for Project
Get Ready. "Not only is it convenient, but when managed correctly, charging overnight, at
home, will put less strain on the grid than opportunity day-time charging at public charging
stations."
KB Home is continually surveying the market to better understand what homebuyers are
looking for in a home. Based on this process, the homebuilder has been proactive in
incorporating energy-efficient and earth-friendly features that save buyers money,
including building all new home communities to strict ENERGY STAR® guidelines.
KB Home's Built to Order approach also makes it possible for homebuyers to incorporate
even more earth-friendly products into their new homes. At the KB Home Studio, the
Company is working to educate buyers about ways they can further lower their energy
bills and reduce their consumption of natural resources by choosing options from the
Company's My Home. My Earth.® program.
About KB Home
KB Home, one of the nation's premier homebuilders, has delivered over half a million
quality homes for families since its founding in 1957. The Company is distinguished by its
Built to OrderTM homebuilding approach that puts a custom home experience within reach
of its customers at an affordable price. KB Home's award-winning homes and
communities meet the needs of first-time homebuyers with flexible designs that also
appeal to move-up buyers and active adults. Los Angeles-based KB Home was named
the #1 homebuilder on FORTUNE® magazine's 2009 "World's Most Admired Companies"
list. This marks the second year in a row and the third time in the past four years that KB
Home has achieved the top ranking. The Company trades under the ticker symbol "KBH,"
and was the first homebuilder listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more
information about any of KB Home's new home communities, call 888-KB-HOMES or visit
www.kbhome.com.
