Energy Conservation at CertainTeed Corporation Contributes to 2012 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CertainTeed Corporation, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain and North America's leading brand of interior and exterior building products, has been awarded the ENERGY STAR^® Sustained Excellence Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the second consecutive year. The award recognizes CertainTeed's outstanding leadership in energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The company continues to be the only manufacturer of fiberglass insulation to receive the award.

"We are honored ENERGY STAR has recognized our ongoing commitment to building a more energy-efficient future and reducing the environmental impact of our business," said John Crowe, president and CEO of CertainTeed Corporation. "For us, energy conservation is good business sense; it drives innovation and most importantly, it improves the environment of the communities in which our employees and customers live."

The award recognizes Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed for its leadership in implementing a wide range of process improvements and energy management practices. In 2011, the Saint-Gobain businesses in North America, including CertainTeed, reduced the amount of energy used to produce a unit of product by 3.6 percent. This reduction is the equivalent to the amount of energy needed to make shingles for new roofs on 1.1 million typical U.S. homes or enough fiberglass insulation for more than 163,000 typical U.S. homes. In addition, the energy savings achieved by the company equate to avoiding more than 116,063 tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year.

Across CertainTeed's more than 60 manufacturing facilities in North America, energy consumption has been reduced by 15 percent over the past four years. Additionally, approximately 6,000 CertainTeed employees have participated in sustainability training focused on energy conservation.

"All of our employees have played a valuable role in reducing our environmental impact and increasing the sustainability of our operations," adds Crowe. "Through a strong culture of respect for the environment we are helping to preserve and protect the communities where we live and work."

This is the fourth consecutive year that CertainTeed and Saint-Gobain's other North American subsidiaries have been recognized by the EPA with an ENERGY STAR Award. Saint-Gobain and its subsidiaries were awarded the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award in 2009 and 2010, and attained the prestigious level of Sustained Excellence in 2011 and 2012. The accomplishments of CertainTeed and Saint-Gobain's other subsidiaries will be recognized at an EPA awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 15.  

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed^® is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CertainTeed earned the 2011 and 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The group had total sales of approximately $3.2 billion in 2011. www.certainteed.com

About Saint-Gobain in North America

Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building materials company, has its North American headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  As the world leader in sustainable habitat, Saint-Gobain is committed to inventing solutions to help professionals and communities around the world build and renovate comfortable, healthy, economical and energy-efficient buildings. The company has more than 265 locations in North America and approximately 19,000 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $7.7 billion in 2011.  

Saint-Gobain's family of companies in North America includes CertainTeed Corporation, which offers the most comprehensive portfolio of interior and exterior building products in North America, as well as Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Saint-Gobain ADFORS, Vetrotech Saint-Gobain North America, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain Solar, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and more.

Saint-Gobain is the proud recipient of the 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.  For information about Saint-Gobain in North America, visit www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Now celebrating its 20^th anniversary, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. About 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

For more information contact:
Michael B. Loughery, CertainTeed
(610) 341-7328
[email protected]
www.certainteed.com/pressroom

SOURCE CertainTeed Corporation