News Releases from Region 05

U.S. EPA Honors 2020 ENERGY STAR® Partners of the Year in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin

Contact Information: Joshua Singer (singer.joshua@epa.gov) 312-353-5069

CHICAGO (March 31, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy are honoring 37 ENERGY STAR partners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin for their outstanding contributions to public health and the environment. The award-winners have demonstrated national leadership in cost-saving energy efficient solutions. They are among the 191 organizations nationwide honored this year as ENERGY STAR award winners.

“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,” said EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Anne Idsal. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.”

“We are proud to have ENERGY STAR award winners from all sectors of the economy in our region, including healthcare, manufacturing, utilities and retail,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Kurt Thiede. “The significant savings in energy and money that these leaders have made shows how much can be accomplished through public-private partnerships.”

Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs.

Examples of how Region 5 ENERGY STAR award winners have demonstrated leadership:

(Chicago, Ill.) American Society for Health Care Engineering , an association whose members design, build and operate health care facilities, has helped hospitals in partnership with ENERGY STAR save $430 million in energy costs since 2010, training member organizations to benchmark energy use in over 3,600 health care facilities, and expanding its energy-saving contest by 20 percent to 527 hospitals.

, an association whose members design, build and operate health care facilities, has helped hospitals in partnership with ENERGY STAR save $430 million in energy costs since 2010, training member organizations to benchmark energy use in over 3,600 health care facilities, and expanding its energy-saving contest by 20 percent to 527 hospitals. (Merrillville, Ind.) Columbia Gas of Ohio supported the construction of nearly 500 ENERGY STAR certified homes and increased the adoption of ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats by 870% from 2018 to 2019.

supported the construction of nearly 500 ENERGY STAR certified homes and increased the adoption of ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats by 870% from 2018 to 2019. (Detroit, Mich.) General Motors Co. invested over $90 million in energy projects by leveraging energy performance contracts and internal capital and reducing its manufacturing energy intensity by 18% since 2010, saving over $122 million in energy costs.

invested over $90 million in energy projects by leveraging energy performance contracts and internal capital and reducing its manufacturing energy intensity by 18% since 2010, saving over $122 million in energy costs. (Minneapolis, Minn.) Target Corp. continued to show leadership in the retail sector by saving 2.7% of its energy and extensively promoting ENERGY STAR goals and accomplishments to its customers and employees.

continued to show leadership in the retail sector by saving 2.7% of its energy and extensively promoting ENERGY STAR goals and accomplishments to its customers and employees. (Findlay, Ohio) Marathon Petroleum Corp. achieved ENERGY STAR certification at four refineries in 2019, including two for a continuous period of 14 years, integrated ten newly acquired refineries into its energy management system, and participated in the 2019 ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt campaign.

achieved ENERGY STAR certification at four refineries in 2019, including two for a continuous period of 14 years, integrated ten newly acquired refineries into its energy management system, and participated in the 2019 ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt campaign. (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) Kohl's Department Stores saved 3.9% of its energy costs in 2019 and achieved ENERGY STAR certification for 1,072 stores.

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 thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.