Lowe's Gains EPA's Top Honors

March 15, 2012

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Lowe’s winner of the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in Retail for the third consecutive year. The 2012 award recognizes Lowe’s long-standing leadership as a retailer of energy-efficient products.

Lowe’s received the EPA’s most prestigious honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 15, which marks the 20th anniversary of ENERGY STAR.

Lowe’s is the only company to win the Sustained Excellence Award in the retail category since the award’s inception in 2004, according to a company release. The company is being honored for outstanding achievements year after year in customer outreach, employee training and product selection. Lowe’s has won 10 consecutive ENERGY STAR awards (2003-2012) for product retailing, more than any other retailer.

“To be awarded an ENERGY STAR honor every year for a decade reflects the tremendous dedication and effort of Lowe’s employees to help customers save energy and money,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising. “We’ll continue to provide a growing number of energy-efficient solutions and look for more innovative ways to advance the mission of ENERGY STAR.”

Lowe’s has successfully integrated ENERGY STAR products into programs that have helped customers reduce utility bills and protect the environment. According to EPA estimates, Lowe’s sold enough ENERGY STAR products in 2011 to eliminate greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 240,000 cars and save customers nearly $190 million each year off their energy bills compared with products that aren’t ENERGY STAR qualified.

Lowe’s achievements in delivering energy-efficiency savings to customers in 2011 included: Increasing the quantity and variety of ENERGY STAR products available in stores and online. Lowe’s carries ENERGY STAR items in all eligible categories it sells and has more ENERGY STAR appliances and qualified lighting products in stock than any other national home improvement retailer. Last year, ENERGY STAR appliances received more than 33 million product views at Lowes.com.

Lowe’s has also promoted ENERGY STAR as a way to save energy and money to an estimated 15 million customers per week. Lowe’s efforts included increased employee training, enhanced store signage and the expansion of ENERGY STAR end caps to provide energy-saving tips and products.

The company also partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and EPA at the 2011 Solar Decathlon to advance energy-efficient homes. In addition to providing on-site construction support to university teams, Lowe’s hosted the consumer workshop series, educated consumers on ENERGY STAR benefits and invited the EPA to conduct a seal-and-insulate clinic.
“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program, EPA is proud to recognize Lowe’s with the 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Lowe’s and all our ENERGY STAR award winners truly demonstrate how the leadership and commitment from EPA’s partners has made a difference in the lives of Americans since 1992, saving them billions of dollars in energy costs and improving the health of our families, the planet and our future.”

Lowe’s, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2001, has been named Retail Partner of the Year four times. In addition, the EPA has honored Lowe’s with three consecutive WaterSense® awards for its leadership in promoting water efficiency. Lowe’s is the only retailer to win a WaterSense honor in consecutive years.

With fiscal year 2011 sales of $50.2 billion, Lowe’s Companies Inc. serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,745 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world.

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