Washington, DC - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 128 businesses and organizations in 33 states with the Energy Star’s Partner of the Year award for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Awardees are helping families save money by saving energy in innovative ways including working with utilities to offer rebates to customers, creating more efficient products, and launching efficiency projects.
In 2014 alone, Energy Star partners, including the 128 Partners of the Year awardees, prevented more than 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced utility bills for Americans by $34 billion.
“Our Energy Star Partner of the Year award winners demonstrate that energy efficiency is a smart business decision that supports their bottom line, and helps their customers save money and energy,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I congratulate our Energy Star Partners of the Year for their leadership and commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking action that will help us leave a healthier planet for future generations.”
The awards will be presented in Washington, DC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on April 20th. EPA Administrator McCarthy and Jim Gibbons, Goodwill Industries International President and CEO, will provide keynote remarks.
“Energy Star Partner of the Year Award winners are delivering advanced energy efficiency solutions that help American families and businesses save money by saving energy,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Their efforts play an important role in protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while also moving our nation closer to a clean energy future.”
This year's awardees include manufacturers, retailers, public schools, hospitals, real estate companies, home builders and other businesses and organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. Several organizations are first-time Energy Star Partner of the Year awardees.
How Energy Star Partners of the Year are Taking Action:
· (Nashville, Tenn.) Habitat for Humanity is providing affordable housing to low-income families through energy efficiency where monthly utility bills average $78 for a 1,200-square-foot Energy Star certified home.
· (Atlanta, Ga.) The Home Depot is working with local utilities in 44 states to coordinate rebate offerings for Energy Star products, resulting in approximately $300 million in incentives for customers. This included offering instant rebates for ENERGY STAR LED lighting products in 900 stores and consumer rebates of over $45 million.
· (Winston Salem, N.C.) Hanesbrands reduced carbon emissions by more than 24 percent and water use intensity by 31 percent in addition to increasing the use of cotton yarn from recycled fabric to reduce the need for water, fertilizer, and herbicides, all energy intensive inputs to cotton growth.
· (Plano, Texas) JCPenney gained Energy Star certification for more than 100 of their buildings in 2014, bringing the company total to 618 certified buildings, which include stores, one distribution center, and the corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas. The company is also partnering with school districts such as Kenton County School District in Kentucky to expand students’ experience in managing their school’s energy to the business world of managing energy in a retail store and fostering an energy conservation culture, having found that 42 percent of the company’s energy savings can be attributed to actively engaged associates.
· (Framingham, Mass.) Staples, Inc. reduced carbon emissions by 36 percent over a 2001 baseline through energy efficiency and green power investments, despite a revenue growth of 130 percent over the same period. The company re-certified 250 buildings in 2014, for a total of 650 Energy Star certified buildings nationwide.
· (El Segundo, Calif.) DirecTV ensured 100 percent of the more than 12 million receivers it purchased in 2014 were ENERGY Energy Star certified, enabling DIRECTV customers to save 845 million kilowatt hours and $105 million annually. The company has deployed 65 million Energy Star certified receivers since joining the program in 2009; reducing energy consumption of its receivers by eight percent since 2012, despite a three-percent increase in receivers deployed.
· (Detroit, Mich.) General Motors Company, among other accomplishments, launched a new funding source called the Chevrolet Clean Energy Campaign in 2014 after realizing the lack of large-scale energy efficiency projects on the voluntary carbon market. The campaign enables universities to accelerate their impact and save money on utility bills while engaging students in making a positive change for the climate.
· (Toledo, Ohio) NeighborWorks completed weatherization efforts in 296 homes to date, including decreasing air infiltration, and replacing inefficient hot water tanks and heating systems with Energy Star certified models. The company has built 40 single-family Energy Star certified homes, saving families money and energy.
Read more about each award winner’s achievements at: www.energystar.gov/awardwinners
Full List of Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards
Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence: The 79 Sustained Excellence winners continue to demonstrate remarkable leadership each year in the Energy Star program while remaining committed to environmental protection through superior energy efficiency.
AEP Ohio, Columbus, Ohio
AEP Texas Central, Corpus Christi, Texas
Allergan, Inc., Irvine, Calif.
Arizona Public Service, Phoenix, Ariz.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Baltimore, Md.
Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Boston, Mass.
Bentall Kennedy, Seattle, Wash.
Brandywine Realty Trust, Radnor, Pa.
BOMA International, Washington, District of Columbia
Burton Energy Group, Alpharetta, Ga.
CalPortland Company, Glendora, Calif.
CBRE Group, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.
Cenergistic, Dallas, Texas
CenterPoint Energy, Houston, Texas
Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y.
Columbia Gas of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio
ComEd, Chicago, Ill.
Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, Iowa
DIRECTV, El Segundo, Calif.
DTZ, Washington, District of Columbia
Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tenn.
Ecova, Spokane, Wash.
EnergyCAP, Inc., State College, Pa.
Energy Inspectors, Las Vegas, Nev.
Evergreen Public Schools, Vancouver, Wash.
Fanning Howey, Celina, Ohio
Focus on Energy, Madison, Wis.
Food Lion, Salisbury, N.C.
General Motors Company, Detroit, Mich.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, Denver, Colo.
Hanesbrands Inc., Winston Salem, N.C.
Hines, Houston, Texas
Hoshizaki America, Inc., Peachtree City, Ga.
Houston Habitat For Humanity, Houston, Texas
ITW Food Equipment Group, Glenview, Ill.
J.C. Penney Company, Inc., Plano, Texas
JLL, Chicago, Ill.
KB Home, Los Angeles, Calif.
Kenton County School District, Ft. Wright, Ky.
Kohl’s Department Stores, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
LG Electronics, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Liberty Property Trust, Malvern, Pa.
Loudoun County Public Schools, Broadlands, Va.
Manitowoc Foodservice, New Port Richey, Fla.
Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, Texas
Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.
Meritage Homes Corporation, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Milford Housing Development Corporation, Milford, Del.
Nationwide Marketing Group, Winston Salem, N.C.
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Trenton, N.J.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, N.Y.
Nissan North America, Inc., Franklin, Tenn.
North Penn School District, Lansdale, Pa.
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), Lexington, Mass.
Panasonic Eco Solutions, Newark, N.J.
Pella Corporation, Pella, Iowa
PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
Philips, Somerset, N.J.
PSEG Long Island, Uniondale, N.Y.
Raytheon Company, Waltham, Mass.
Saint-Gobain, Valley Forge, Pa.
Samsung Electronics, Seoul, South Korea
Sears Holdings Corporation, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Servidyne, Atlanta, Ga.
Southern California Edison, Rosemead, Calif.
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), Hughesville, Md.
Staples, Inc., Framingham, MA
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL
The Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga.
The NH Energy Efficiency Team, Manchester, N.H.
TIAA-CREF, New York, N.Y.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Erlanger, Ky.
TRANSWESTERN, Houston, Texas
USAA Real Estate Company, San Antonio, Texas
Verizon, New York, N.Y.
Vornado Realty Trust, New York, NY
Partner of the Year: Fifty-one organizations have been awarded the Partner of the Year award for strategically and comprehensively managing their energy use. These organizations promote Energy Star products and practices in their own operations, while providing energy-efficient products and services to their customers.
*AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), Shreveport, La.
Best Buy Co., Inc., Richfield, Minn.
Brighton Homes, Boise, Idaho
*Bristol-Myers Squibb, New York, N.Y.
Building Energy, Inc., Star, Idaho
*Cherokee County Schools, Murphy, N.C.
*Cobblestone Homes, Saginaw, Mich.
Consumers Energy, Jackson, Mich.
Corning Incorporated, Corning, N.Y.
*Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Business, Peachtree City, Ga.
Efficiency Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
*EnergyPrint, St. Paul, Minn.
*Enersafe, LLC, Linwood, Mich.
*Fannie Mae Multifamily, Washington, District of Columbia
*Fulton Homes, Tempe, Ariz.
Goby, Chicago, IL
Good Earth Lighting, Mount Prospect, Ill.
Illinois Energy & Recycling Office at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Springfield, Ill.
Intertape Polymer Group, Inc., Sarasota, Fla.
*Jacksonville Building Science, LLC, Jacksonville, Fla.
Kentucky School Boards Association, Frankfort, Ky.
Kilroy Realty Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif.
Mansfield Independent School District, Mansfield, Texas
MaxLite, West Caldwell, N.J.
New Mexico Gas Company, a TECO Energy Company, Albuquerque, N.M.
Parmenter, Miami, Fla.
PECO, Philadelphia, Pa.
*PEG, Fairfax, Va.
Pentair Aquatic Systems, Sanford, N.C.
Potomac Electric Power Company (“Pepco”), Washington, District of Columbia
*PPL Electric Utilities, Allentown, Pa.
*Providence Homes, Jacksonville, Fla.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sacramento, Calif.
Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, Tempe, Ariz.
Scott County Schools, Georgetown, Ky.
SkyeTec, Jacksonville, Fla.
*SL Green Realty Corp, New York, N.Y.
SoCalGas, Los Angeles, Calif.
Soft-Lite Windows, Streetsboro, Ohio
*The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
*The Lighting & Products Sponsors of Mass Save, Westwood, Mass.
*Tishman Speyer, New York, N.Y.
TopBuild Home Services, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich.
Home Performance with Energy Star: Seven of the total winners are winning at least in part for their superior efforts in promoting the Home Performance with Energy Star program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy with support from EPA.
AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company, Shreveport, La.
Arizona Public Service, Phoenix, Ariz.
Columbia Association, Columbia, Md.
Efficiency Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
Focus on Energy, Madison, Wis.
Illinois Energy & Recycling Office at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Springfield, Ill.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, N.Y.
Climate Communications: The seven Climate Communications winners have raised their customers’ awareness of the impacts of climate change. Through their efforts, these partners illustrate how energy-efficient behaviors have a positive impact on the environment while encouraging customers to save energy and protect the climate.
Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, Iowa
General Motors Company, Detroit, Mich.
JLL, Chicago, Ill.
KB Home, Los Angeles, Calif.
LG Electronics, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Metro Lighting, Brentwood, Mo.
Samsung Electronics Co., Seoul, South Korea
Excellence: Six winners are receiving recognition for demonstrating outstanding promotion of energy-efficient products, homes, or buildings.
Columbia Association, Columbia, Md.
Metro Lighting, Brentwood, Mo.
National Grid, Waltham, Mass.
NeighborWorks TOLEDO REGION, Toledo, Ohio
ProVia, Sugarcreek, Ohio
The United Illuminating Company, Orange, Conn.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Energy Star Certified Homes program, nine home builders are receiving special recognition for their longstanding and continuous commitment to constructing ENERGY STAR certified homes.
Bob Ward Companies, Edgewood, Md.
Decker Homes, Inc., Lambertville, Mich.
Dodson Homes, Inc., Centerville, Va.
Gallo Builders, Inc., Holden, Mass.
PulteGroup Arizona, Scottsdale, Ariz.
PulteGroup Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.
Stitt Energy Systems, Inc., Rogers, Ark.
VIP Homes, Mesa, Ariz.
Wonderland Homes, Denver, Colo.
Energy Star has over 16,000 partners working to protect the environment through greater energy efficiency, including manufacturers, retailers, public schools, hospitals, real estate companies, and home builders.
Complete list of winners: www.energystar.gov/awardwinners
*Denotes first-time Partner of the Year Award winners
Energy Star is the simple choice for energy efficiency. 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 carbon pollution by two billion metric tons since 1992. Join the millions who are already making a difference at energystar.gov.
