The DOE and EPA today announced the recipients of the 2012 Energy Star Awards. The winners’ list consists of product manufacturers, energy providers, and building science organizations, among others, who all will gather at an awards dinner tonight in Washington, D.C., which also will kick off Energy Star’s 20-year anniversary celebration. For the past two decades, the program has been certifying and promoting energy-conserving building methods, materials, and products and partnering with like-minded companies. According to the EPA and DOE, Energy Star partners, manufacturers of certified products, consumers, and companies have saved nearly $230 billion since the program’s inception.The highest award being bestowed is the Award for Corporate Commitment. It has been given to only four companies prior to this year’s honoree, Sears Holdings Corp. The award commends a company that participates in multiple aspects of the Energy Star program and demonstrates wholehearted dedication to the philosophy behind it. Sears has been integrating Energy Star into its retail product offerings, company energy management programs, and consumer education and promotions since 1998. “By fully embracing and integrating the entire Energy Star platform, Sears Holdings Corp. demonstrates world-class programs … that have helped achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” the announcement states.
Among the 57 organizations that won a Sustained Excellence Award for their continued achievements in energy efficiency, a few names are familiar to custom home pros. Andersen Corp. won for its “109-year history of leadership in energy-efficient product designs,” according to the website; GE Appliances and Lighting is acknowledged as a leader in energy-efficient research and development, education, and promotion; and Whirlpool Corp. is recognized for its cutting-edge technology, which has resulted in some of the industry’s most energy-efficient appliances. Other highlights from the list include 3M, BSH Home Appliance Corp., Panasonic, and EnergyLogic—a home builder energy rating firm in Colorado.
Thirty-six organizations were honored with Partner of the Year designations for “protecting the environment through energy-efficient products, practices and services,” says the release. A few honorees provide goods and services for the residential construction industry, such as Samsung and LG Electronics.
Texas-based Design Tech Homes receives one of the 15 excellence awards for its pledge to build every house to Energy Star specifications. Other excellence winners include Good Earth Lighting, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance (a nonprofit group that works with builders and other housing pros to implement energy-efficiency strategies), Sea Gull Lighting Products, and Sharp Electronics.
Read the full list of the 2012 winners here.
