The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association had their first 2025 Sustainability Breakfast meeting in March. Members got together to chat about the best practices and lessons learned in the last 25 years to tackle issues like extreme temperatures, scarce water resources, a growing population, supply chain disruptions, energy access, and land availability. These problems affect all homebuilders in Southern Nevada, even in the luxury market. Custom homebuilders have been collaborating with the National Association of Home Builders, the U.S. Green Builders Council, and government agencies to find creative solutions for these challenges.
The breakfast, which took place at The Orleans, was co-sponsored by KB Home and featured a panel discussion with stakeholders moderated by SNHBA CEO Tina Frias. Speakers included Jeff Pemstein from the National Association of Home Builders, Jacob Atalla from KB Home, Justin Anderson from Beazer Homes, Annette Bubak from Sunnova Energy, Eric Wilson from Southwest Gas, and Adam Grant from NV Energy. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, only 97 homes in Southern Nevada were built to federal Energy Star standards in the early 2000s. Now, over 140,000 homes in the region meet or exceed those standards.
The International Code Council has been raising the bar for homebuilders by emphasizing energy efficiency and water conservation through upgrades to building code standards over the last two decades. The New American Home of 2025 was showcased at Ascaya and highlighted sustainable building practices from the National Association of Home Builders. The home, built by Sun West Custom Homes, featured advanced construction techniques for creating a well-insulated building envelope. Various energy-efficient appliances and systems were integrated into the home, making it 154 percent more efficient than a standard code-built home.
KB Home has been focusing on water conservation and energy efficiency since 2000, aligning its building standards with guidelines from the WaterSense program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By incorporating water-efficient fixtures and appliances into their homes, KB Home has saved customers a combined total of 2.1 billion gallons of water each year. Beazer Homes, on the other hand, has set goals to develop net-zero energy homes across all their communities nationwide, showcasing sustainability solutions at a lower cost while providing energy independence and resilience. Their VISION House project in the Cadence community of Henderson demonstrates their commitment to building high-performance, net-zero homes at an attainable price point.
