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WHITMAN RECOGNIZES 34 ORGANIZATIONS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS

Release Date: 03/20/2001
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FOR RELEASE: TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2001

WHITMAN RECOGNIZES 34 ORGANIZATIONS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS

Dave Ryan 202-564-7827 or e-mail: [email protected]



For their voluntary leadership in energy efficiency leading to a reduction of global warming gases, IBM, Hilton Hotels, Sears and 31 other organizations will receive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year awards from EPA Administrator Christie Whitman at a banquet tonight in Washington, D.C.

“Under President Bush’s leadership, we are entering a new era of environmental protection,” said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. “This era will be marked by partnerships among all those who affect and are concerned about the environment. Energy Star is a good example of how these partnerships will work.”

“Each of tonight’s award recipients, “Whitman added, “is helping set the pace for the rest of America’s business community. Because of their voluntary efforts to manufacture and sell energy efficient products, save energy in their workplaces, and educate consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency, they are all partners in environmental protection.”

ENERGY STAR was established by EPA in 1992 to offer energy-saving and pollution-preventing solutions for consumers and businesses by awarding labels to the most energy-efficient products, homes and buildings. ENERGY STAR currently offers labels, if specifications are met, to products in 34 categories, including computers, dishwashers, refrigerators and air conditioners. This makes it easy for families to make purchases that reduce the need for power generation at electric utilities, thereby reducing air pollution. Over 600 million ENERGY STAR products have been purchased, and thousands of buildings have been upgraded, providing savings of more than $4 billion in 2000. By using ENERGY STAR labeled products, the average household can save more than $400 a year on their energy bills.

Some specific examples of ENERGY STAR savings:

-- An ENERGY STAR- labeled washing machine uses up to 70% less energy than a conventional washer. This will save about 600 kilowatt-hours per year. That is the same as running a new refrigerator for a year. This washer also uses about half the water of a conventional model – saving 7000 gallons annually. That is equivalent to taking 560 five- minute showers.
-- ENERGY STAR labeled light bulbs can last ten times longer than regular ones and can save consumers over $25 in energy costs over the product’s lifetime.
-- It takes six large power plants to provide the electricity required to power the nations TVs and VCR’s while they are turned off; those with ENERGY STAR labels reduce that amount by half.
-- A refrigerator can cost over $1000 to operate over its life. An ENERGY STAR refrigerator uses half the energy of a standard ten-year old- model and will save $35-$70 per year.

The ninth annual awards, sponsored by EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, will recognize the energy efficiency investments made by these ENERGY STAR Partners. These investments have fostered innovation, improved profitability and contributed to a cleaner environment. Winners are selected for their commitment to energy efficiency in manufacturing and promoting products, upgrading their facilities and educating consumers. In addition, EPA has created a new award this year for technology innovations that aid and promote energy efficient equipment and ENERGY STAR.

The 34 winners will receive awards in six categories. They are:
Excellence in Consumer Education
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (Portland, Ore.)
Participating Electric and Gas Utilities of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (Lexington, Mass.)
Pacific Gas & Electric (San Francisco, Calif.)
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (Sacramento, Calif.)
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp (Madison, Wis.)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY in BUILDINGS and BUSINESS
Arden Realty, Inc. (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Hilton Hotels Corporation (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
Johnson Controls, Inc. (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Kingston School District (Kingston, N.Y.)
M. J. Soffe Company, Inc.(Fayetteville, N.C.)
Servidyne Systems, Inc. (Atlanta, Ga.)
Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. (East Bridgewater, Mass.)
University of Missouri at Columbia (Columbia, Mo.)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.)
Verizon (Albany, N.Y.)
Virtua Health System (Camden, N.J.)
Hines (Houston, Texas)
    ENERGY EFFICIENT HOMES
    Southwest Gas Corporation (Las Vegas, Nev.)
    Guaranteed Watt Saver Systems West (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
    Connecticut Light and Power (West Springfield, Conn.)
    Woods and Associates (Las Vegas, Nev.)
    Special Award: Excellence in Home Improvement: Bob Vila (Boston, Mass.)

    ENERGY EFFICIENT PRODUCTS
    Canon USA, Inc. (Lake Success, Calif.)
    Panasonic (Secaucus, N.J.)
    National Coatings (Camarillo, Calif.)
    Alside (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
    Harvey Industries (Waltham, Mass.)
    Viking Windows & Patio Doors (Portland, Ore.)
    Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.)
    Maytag Corporation (Newton, Iowa)
    Whirlpool Corporation (Benton Harbour, Mich.)

    TECHNICAL INNOVATION
    Intel (Folsom, Calif.)
    AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.)
      EXCELLENCE IN CORPORATE COMMITMENT
      IBM Corporation (Armonk, N.Y.)
        The awards ceremony and banquet will begin Tuesday, March 20 at 6 p.m.(EST) at the Marriott Metro Center Hotel, 775 12th Street, N.W. Media are welcome to attend. For further information on the awards, go to the website: www.energystar.gov or call Maria T. Vargas at 202-564-9178 or e-mail: [email protected] .

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