Centex Enhances Austin’s Energy-Efficiency Standards

Centex Energy Advantage standards up to 40% more efficient than typical 10-year-old home

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Centex Corporation (NYSE: CTX) today announced that construction is under way on Centex Energy Advantage homes across the Austin area. Collectively, the first group of Centex Energy Advantage homes now in progress are projected to avoid thousands of tons of carbon emissions over time, preventing approximately 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in just the first year of occupancy.

Centex Energy Advantage is now available in all to-be-built homes ordered from Centex in 21 neighborhoods across the Central Texas region, including the Austin area, Killeen and Temple. Austin’s first Centex Energy Advantage homes, located in Westview Meadows near Leander and Ashbrook in south Austin, are scheduled for delivery in May. Please visit any Centex neighborhood sales office for more information or see centex.com/energyadvantage.asp for details and centex.com/austin/ for details about homes and prices.(1)

“The Austin area has established itself as a national leader in energy-efficient building standards. We’re excited to be building Centex Energy Advantage homes that enhance those high standards for Centex customers,” said Chris Werth, division president for Centex in Central Texas.

“We’re empowering Centex homebuyers to count the money they spend on energy literally hour by hour, not to mention the savings from getting these features included as standard on their new home. A homeowner would spend thousands of dollars in after-market costs for these upgrades on their own,” Mr. Werth said. “And considering the greenhouse gas emissions that are prevented, these homes are good for the whole community, not just their owners.”

Centex Energy Advantage homes are up to 22 percent more efficient than comparable new homes built to the most widely used energy efficiency code (the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code), according to a study commissioned with the NAHB Research Center. When compared to a typical 10-year-old home (as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program), the Centex Energy Advantage homes in the study were shown to be up to 40 percent more energy efficient.(2)

According to the NAHB Research Center, each Centex Energy Advantage home avoids 1.78 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide per year than a comparable new home. That’s roughly the same as the greenhouse gas emissions from the family automobile over four months or the CO2 emissions from about 183 gallons of gasoline consumed.(3) Features of the Centex Energy Advantage in Central Texas include: (4)

• Wireless energy monitor: real-time information about electricity usage and expense can lead to a 4-15 percent reduction in electricity use; (5) Centex is the first national homebuilder to announce the installation of an energy monitor in every home it builds
• Whirlpool or KitchenAid brand ENERGY STAR(R) qualified appliances (6)
• 14-SEER Lennox(R) high-efficiency HVAC system (7)
• Honeywell(R) programmable thermostat(s)
• Low-emissivity windows
• R-38 insulation and Solar Board(R) radiant-barrier roof sheathing in the attic
• Compact fluorescent lights in high-traffic areas (6)
• Viega Manabloc(R) water-conserving plumbing system
• Information for maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing the impact of home operation on the environment.

About Centex

Dallas-based Centex, founded in 1950, is one of the nation’s leading home building companies. Its leading brands include Centex Homes, Fox & Jacobs Homes and CityHomes. In addition to its home building operations, Centex also offers mortgage and title services. Centex has ranked among the top three builders on FORTUNE magazine’s list of “America’s Most Admired Companies” for 10 straight years and is a leader in quality and customer satisfaction.

Editor’s notes:

1. Homes, prices, features and availability are subject to change. Homes are subject to prior sale.
2. This study evaluated the energy efficiency gains attributable to the Centex Energy Advantage features in a variety of single-family floor plans typical of the Centex product line in the climate zones where the Company currently operates. Not all floor plans, building materials or construction techniques were evaluated in the study. Efficiency gains will vary for other plan types, building materials, construction techniques and change of climate zone.
3. Calculations are based on NAHB Research Center estimated efficiency of 1.78 metric tons of CO2 per home equipped with Centex Energy Advantage features, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator” (see www.epa.gov).
4. The Centex Energy Advantage will be supplemented or otherwise adjusted as required by state and local codes. In several markets, Centex is currently building homes with components that exceed the combined efficiencies provided by the Centex Energy Advantage.
5. Based upon published studies reviewed by the NAHB Research Center.
6. Appliance selection and CFL applications vary by neighborhood. Contact the neighborhood sales representative for specific details.
7. 14-SEER air conditioning or 90-percent AFUE furnace, depending upon climate zone. SEER is “seasonal energy efficiency ratio,” a measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a central air conditioner or air-conditioning heat pump that is the average BTUs of cooling delivered for every watt-hour of electricity used by the heat pump over a cooling season. AFUE is “annual fuel utilization efficiency,” a measure of average combustion efficiency in a furnace or heating unit.

SOURCE Centex Corporation