EPA Recognizes Meritage Homes with 2015 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year -- Sustained Excellence Award

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Fifth year that Meritage has been recognized as a leader in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR for Homes Program and third year for Meritage to be honored for sustained leadership in protecting the environment

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH) with a 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership in protecting our environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.

As an ENERGY STAR partner since 2001, Meritage Homes will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency at the 2015 ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2015.

Since 2010, Meritage has championed the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program as the baseline for every home it builds, and incorporates ENERGY STAR throughout its marketing and educational materials. Meritage is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence recognition for its commitment to educating its employees, industry stakeholders, and the public about the value and benefits of energy efficient construction.

Key accomplishments in 2014 included:

  • Completing more than 5,400 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2014, which are estimated to save more than 42 million kWh of electricity, eliminate over 63 million pounds of CO2, and reduce homeowner utility bills by more than $5.0 million annually.
  • Championing the construction of homes that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR, as well as EPA’s Indoor airPLUS and WaterSense labels.
  • Educating homebuyers about the value and benefits of advanced building techniques and ENERGY STAR certified homes at all of its learning centers in 229 communities across the United States.
  • Training more than 300 construction staff and subcontractors, approximately 300 real estate agents and ongoing education of Meritage’s 400 sales and marketing staff, on ENERGY STAR requirements and other advanced building practices at mandatory management training days at all of its divisions.

Since its inception in 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped prevent a total of more than two billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2013 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners provided more than $11 billion in societal benefits due to reducing damages from climate change.

“Through their sustained participation with ENERGY STAR, Meritage Homes is helping Americans save money, save energy, and do their part to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I applaud Meritage for earning EPA’s highest ENERGY STAR award, the 2015 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, demonstrating a strong commitment to energy efficiency and to preserving a healthy planet for future generations.”

The 2015 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency achievements. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

For a complete list of 2015 winners and information, and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit www.energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Meritage

Meritage Homes is the eighth-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2014. Meritage builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. Meritage builds in markets including Sacramento, San Francisco's East Bay, the Central Valley and Orange County, California; Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Green Valley and Tucson, Arizona; Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg and York County, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Meritage has designed and built more than 85,000 homes in its 30-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award in 2013 and 2014, for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding. Meritage was the first national homebuilder to be 100 percent ENERGY STAR qualified in every home it builds, and far exceeds ENERGY STAR standards today.

For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the simple choice for energy efficiency achievements. For more than 20 years, people across America have looked to EPA’s ENERGY STAR program for guidance on how to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change. Today, ENERGY STAR is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by two billion metric tons since 1992. Join the millions who are already making a difference at energystar.gov.

Meritage Homes Corporation
Brent Anderson, 972-580-6360
VP Investor Relations
Brent.Anderson@meritagehomes.com
or
ENERGY STAR Brand Manager
Kristinn Leonhart, 202-343-9062
Leonhart.Kristinn@epa.gov

Source: Meritage Homes Corporation

Released April 7, 2015