New GE ecomaginationSM Homebuilder Program — a Blueprint for Building Green Homes — Already Adopted by Builders and Developers Across the Country

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — (NYSE: GE) — GE and Masco Home Services' Environments for Living^® division announced in May 2007 the launch of the ecomagination Homebuilder Program. In the months since the announcement, builders and developers across the country — from South Carolina to California — and even in Canada, have signed up for the program. 

This new program helps residential builders and developers design homes that are not only comfortable, but that also release fewer household emissions and are more efficient in their energy consumption and indoor water consumption than industry-accepted average new homes. A new interactive GE SmartCommand™ Enviro Monitor also helps homeowners track their current and historical energy and indoor water consumption.

Compared to industry-accepted average new homes, homes built to ecomagination Homebuilder Program specifications are designed to achieve:

• At least 20 percent household energy savings
• At least 20 percent savings on household indoor water consumption
• At least 20 percent reduction in emissions associated with the home

Helping homebuilders sell homes
In the last two years, natural gas costs have risen 42 percent, and electricity costs have risen 17 percent, according to a report in Energy Pulse, March 2006. The same report noted that 86 percent of recent homebuyers said they would choose an energy-efficient home over one that was not energy efficient.

The ecomagination^SM Homebuilder Program helps builders and developers create demand for new homes by helping consumers save energy and reduce their water consumption, while feeling better about their homes' impact on the environment.

Giving homebuyers what they prefer
The new program will give homebuyers more reasons to choose high-performance, energy-efficient homes, including:

• New GE SmartCommand™ Enviro Monitor: An interactive wall panel provides current and historical feedback on electricity use and water consumption, as well as serving as the home's programmable thermostat and security system interface. Other options include whole-home lighting control, intercom and home audio interface.

• GE and GE Profile™ ENERGY STAR^®-qualified appliances: These appliances offer energy-efficient designs matched with groundbreaking features and innovative style.

• GE advanced lighting package: This package includes indoor and outdoor lighting. At least 50% of the standard lighting fixtures in the home will use GE Energy Smart™ compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which consume up to 75 percent less electricity than standard incandescent lamps.

• GE Brilliance™ Solar Electric Power Systems (optional): These systems are engineered to install quickly and to reliably provide years of virtually maintenance-free operation. Brilliance Solar Electric Power Systems typically meet 20-30 percent of a home's electricity needs, and work in conjunction with the local utility to provide complete service.

• GE tankless gas water heater (optional): Available in both indoor and outdoor models, the GE tankless gas water heater provides a continuous flow of precisely heated hot water, and its compact design allows for installation in tight spaces like closets, garages, attics, or even tucked away under the stairs.

• The Environments for Living Certified Green program standards: Tight construction, fresh-air ventilation, improved insulation, efficient HVAC equipment, humidity control, pressure balancing and combustion safety are all part of this package.

Offering comfort and energy limited guarantees
Homes built to ecomagination Homebuilder Program specifications are classified Environments for Living Certified Green, as they use advanced building science techniques to deliver both comfort and energy efficiency. Environments for Living offers a guarantee* to the original homeowner that there will be no more than a 3° temperature differential from the center of any conditioned room within each thermostat zone.

 

 

 

 

# # #