Energy Star honors Las Vegas’ Ryland Homes

Energy Star has awarded Las Vegas-based builder Ryland Homes its Certified Homes Market Leader Award. The award is given annually to builders that build or verify “an outstanding number of Energy Star Certified Homes,” according to the organization.

Last year, Ryland Homes erected 403 homes in Las Vegas that were then Energy Star-certified -- which saved the energetic equivalent of more than 730,000 pounds of coal.

In addition to maintaining competitive Energy Star standards, the company builds energy efficiency into its homes, installing Energy Star-certified appliances and using paints that contain few volatile organic compounds.

Using the Home Energy Rating System’s evaluation of the energy used by typical homes -- which typically score 130 on a 150-point scale -- Ryland Homes says its projects usually score between 60 and 85 points.