News Releases from Region 05

U.S. EPA Honors ENERGY STAR® Partners of the Year in Illinois

Chicago, Ill. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Great Lakes regional office and the U.S. Department of Energy are honoring 17 Illinois organizations as ENERGY STAR partners for their outstanding contributions to public health and the environment. These enterprises have earned ENERGY STAR Awards for demonstrating national leadership in cost-saving energy efficient solutions. They are among the 183 ENERGY STAR Award Winners nationwide that will be honored in Washington, D.C., on April 11.

"I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum. "Their innovation and leadership enhance America's economic competitiveness. Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment."

For more than 25 years, EPA's ENERGY STAR program has been America's resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and associated reductions of over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans save $30 billion in energy costs.

2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners in Illinois include:

AMLI Residential, a multifamily company focused on the development, acquisition, and management of Class A sustainable apartment communities has demonstrated ongoing dedication to corporate sustainability and has leveraged the ENERGY STAR program to communicate the value of energy efficiency to both internal stakeholders and its residents across its communities.

Beko US, Inc., a home appliance manufacturer, offers customers a wide array of ENERGY STAR certified products; during 2018, seven of its newly introduced dishwasher platforms achieved ENERGY STAR Most Efficient recognition.

ComEd, a unit of Exelon Corporation, serves nearly four million customers in northern Illinois, and educates consumers regarding their energy usage. ComEd has expanded its commitment to using ENERGY STAR tools across its portfolio.

As a leader in global real estate services with 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries, Cushman & Wakefield consistently promotes ENERGY STAR tools and resources and oversee close to 300 ENERGY STAR certifications annually.

DNR Construction, a home energy performance company, has been providing weatherization and construction services for more than 16 years.

Goby Inc. helps clients increase the value of real estate by ensuring sustainability through operational efficiency and strategic energy management, and in 2018 helped clients gain recognition through ENERGY STAR certification and incorporated the use of ENERGY STAR resources as standard practice when providing energy management services.

Howe Corporation, manufacturer of commercial ice making equipment, maintained ENERGY STAR certification on 80 percent of eligible automatic commercial ice makers, actively participated in efficiency criteria setting processes, and promoted the ENERGY STAR program through collaborative efforts with utilities and various marketing outlets.

The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is an international organization of nearly 20,000 individuals united to advance the profession of real estate management through training, professional development, and collaboration. In 2018, IREM continued to promote sustainability and energy efficiency within its trainings and certification programs, with a focus on utilizing the ENERGY STAR program to achieve significant energy reductions.

JLL is a professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate. JLL has maintained its dedication to driving energy savings within its managed properties and has continued to provide leadership in energy management to the industry.

Kenmore, part of Sears Holdings Corporation, offered customers a wide array of ENERGY STAR certified products, with 543 ENERGY STAR certified and ENERGY STAR Most Efficient recognized appliance models available in 2018, selling more than 1.2 million through multiple retail channels.

An independent subsidiary of JLL, LaSalle Investment Management is one of the world’s leading real estate investment managers operating in 17 countries. The company has demonstrated ongoing dedication to corporate sustainability and leverages the ENERGY STAR program to communicate to investors and tenants about its strong energy management program.

The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is a collaborative network advancing energy efficiency for sustainable economic development and environmental stewardship in the region. In 2018, The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance demonstrated leadership implementing the Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, in collaboration with investor-owned utilities, contractors, realtor associations, and appraisers.

Northwestern University, a private academic and research institution, has demonstrated an institution-wide commitment to energy management, reducing the energy use intensity of its buildings by five percent over the last year while also promoting the value of efficiency and ENERGY STAR on campus and to the public.

Sears Holdings Corporation and Sears Brands Management Corporation: Sears has demonstrated leadership by stocking and selling more than 2 million ENERGY STAR certified products and by reducing energy consumption across its portfolio by 14 percent and certifying 140 stores as ENERGY STAR in 2018, bringing the total number of certified stores to 923.  Sears also has had a longstanding commitment to energy efficiency and community outreach across all its business units for superior energy management across its portfolio.

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association (ASHE) is a membership group dedicated to the design, build, and operation of health care facilities. ASHE is receiving recognition for outstanding efforts to promote ENERGY STAR nationwide through the Energy to Care program during the 2018 year.

The Boeing Company is a manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space, and security systems supporting customers in 150 countries. A hallmark of Boeing’s energy management program is company-wide engagement of its sites globally in an annual competition for energy savings.

Read more about the ENERGY STAR Awards and Award Winners’ achievements.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR^® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions—all through voluntary action. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid $30 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.