EPA Honors 206 2021 ENERGY STAR Award Winners

This year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing Samsung Electronics with a rare ENERGY STAR Corporate Commitment Award.

Fortune 500 companies, schools, retailers, manufacturers, home builders, and commercial building owners and operators from 39 states are among the 206 ENERGY STAR partners being honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for their outstanding leadership in reducing American energy bills and tackling climate change.

Michael Regan ENERGY STAR partners
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan

“ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are showing the world that delivering real climate solutions makes good business sense and promotes job growth,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Many of them have been doing it for years, inspiring all of us who are committed to tackling the climate crisis and leading the way to a clean energy economy.”

This year, ENERGY STAR is recognizing more than 150 award winners for their year-over-year commitment to energy efficiency through the program’s highest honor: ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award. To qualify for Sustained Excellence recognition, winners must have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition.

In addition, EPA is recognizing Samsung Electronics with a rare ENERGY STAR Corporate Commitment Award. This award cannot be applied for and is only occasionally given when a company’s business allows them to achieve award-winning levels of performance across different parts of the ENERGY STAR program.

“Samsung is committed to helping mitigate climate change through our products, practices, and operations, especially in the area of energy efficiency,” said KS Choi, President and CEO, Samsung Electronics North America. “We are extremely honored to receive this rare and prestigious award and commit to continuing to raise the bar on energy efficiency as an important part of tackling climate change.”

For more than 25 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. In 2019 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses save nearly 500 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and avoid $39 billion in energy costs. These savings resulted in emission reductions of nearly 390 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, roughly equivalent to 5% of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions.

15 ENERGY STAR partners are being recognized with the Sustained Excellence recognition for a dozen or more years. The accomplishments of these winners and Samsung Electronics are:

  • Food Lion, LLC of Salisbury, NC, a retail grocery store chain, continued to leverage its ENERGY STAR partnership in 2020 to communicate the value of energy efficiency and maintain an average ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® score of 69, while having certified 919 of its stores as ENERGY STAR. Sustained Excellence winner for 18 years.
  • USAA Real Estate of San Antonio, TX, the real estate investment arm of USAA, continued to find new opportunities to improve energy efficiency in its diverse portfolio while promoting the ENERGY STAR program across the industry and increased its average ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®Score from a 78 in 2019 to an 82 in 2020. Sustained Excellence winner for 17 years.
  • CalPortland Company of Glendora, CA, a producer of cement, concrete, aggregates, and asphalt pavement, improved energy intensity since 2003 by more than 17 percent, saving nearly $149 million and preventing the emissions of 3.3 million tons of CO2. Sustained Excellence winner for 15 years.
  • CenterPoint Energy of Houston, TX, a transmission and distribution utility, supported the construction of more than 3,600 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2020 and promoted the program through a refreshed, cost-effective digital marketing strategy, resulting in a 700 percent increase in paid search impressions. Sustained Excellence winner for 15 years.
  • ENGIE Impact of New York, NY, a resource management and sustainability consulting services provider, delivered monthly benchmarking services for more than 47,000 client buildings in 2020 and assisted clients in securing more than 3,100 rebates worth $25 million for ENERGY STAR certified products. Sustained Excellence winner for 15 years.
  • Servidyne, LLC of Atlanta, GA, an energy, sustainability, and occupant wellness consulting firm, assisted 174 client buildings in 2020 in earning ENERGY STAR certification. Sustained Excellence winner for 15 years.
  • Hines of Houston, TX, a privately owned global real estate investment firm, maintained its strong corporate commitment to sustainability by using ENERGY STAR to promote energy efficiency with its stakeholders and increased its average ENERGY STAR Score by over six percent from 2019 to 2020. Sustained Excellence winner for 14 years.
  • Merck & Co., Inc. of Kenilworth, NJ, a global healthcare company, achieved more than a three percent energy intensity reduction across its operations worldwide in 2020 and earned ENERGY STAR certification for five buildings and one manufacturing plant. Sustained Excellence winner for 14 years.
  • Raytheon Technologies of Waltham, MA, an aerospace and defense company, implemented energy and water conservation policies in 2020 to reach $1.5 million in annual energy savings from 101 projects. Sustained Excellence winner for 14 years.
  • CBRE of Dallas, TX, a global commercial real estate services and investment firm, grew its comprehensive energy management program and training programs, provided overall leadership across the industry, and increased its average ENERGY STAR Score across its portfolio from a 64 in 2019 to a 68 in 2020. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • Energy Inspectors, a Las Vegas, NV home energy rating company, certified more than 19,000 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2020 and recruited new builders and developers into the program, which will collectively certify more than 3,000 additional homes and apartments. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, TN, an affordable homebuilder and volunteer organization, consistently promoted ENERGY STAR certification in all collateral materials, videos, and volunteer and homeowner training sessions, and built more than 550 ENERGY STAR certified homes as of 2020. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • ITW Food Equipment Group of Troy, OH, a commercial food service equipment manufacturer, increased its ENERGY STAR listings by 48 models, including a 125 percent increase in certified product models for the Traulsen brand, as well as growing the Hobart Warewash obsolete program that allows customers to upgrade their legacy equipment to ENERGY STAR performance levels. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • JCPENNEY of Lewisville, TX, a clothing and home retail store, achieved its 15 percent energy use reduction goal by using ENERGY STAR tools and resources. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • Nuveen Real Estate of New York, NY, a real estate investment management firm, demonstrated outstanding energy management across its portfolio and achieved ENERGY STAR certification for more than 27 properties in 2020. Sustained Excellence winner for 12 years.
  • Samsung Electronics of Ridgefield Park, NJ, a manufacturer of home appliances, consumer electronics, and mobile communications, demonstrated exceptional ENERGY STAR leadership across multiple components of the program on a sustained basis. Sustained Excellence winner for 8 years.

Read more about the ENERGY STAR Awards here.

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