Philips Lauded by EPA as ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

SOMERSET, N.J., March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honors select organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency – this year, Philips Lighting took Product Manufacturer top honors with Partner of the Year.  Philips, the global leader in energy efficient lighting, released a total of 269 ENERGY STAR qualified products in 2012, an increase of 84 percent over the prior year. Eighty-eight of these were new LED products, including the first LED equivalent for the 75-watt incandescent bulb.

Philips was also recognized for its educational efforts to teach consumers and commercial partners the value of ENERGY STAR programs, including training nearly 1,200 distributors and 650 US-based employees. The company also launched several campaigns in conjunction with the EPA to help educate retail and commercial consumers of the tangible value of ENERGY STAR qualified products in corporate sustainability efforts and their positive environmental impact.

"As an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, Philips has not only demonstrated its commitment to delivering a quality product and helping consumers lower their energy costs, the company is dedicated to educating the public on the value of ENERGY STAR qualified products," said Anne Bailey, ENERGY STAR products branch chief at the EPA. "Philips has partnered with NSTAR, National Grid, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company in Massachusetts to provide 65,000 students at more than 40 universities with LED equivalents for the 60 incandescent watt bulb, which is estimated to result in 59,000,000 lifetime kWh savings and 40,000 metric tons of CO₂ reduced. By driving awareness through social media and pledges, Philips has also been able to deliver real efforts with real results."

The ENERGY STAR Awards celebrate energy efficiency and climate protection accomplishments across the areas of energy management, new home construction, energy efficiency program delivery, product manufacturers, product retailers, and service and product providers. Each ENERGY STAR Award winner is chosen from a vast network of nearly 20,000 ENERGY STAR partners, and their achievements demonstrate that improving energy efficiency is one of the fastest and most effective ways to prevent pollution, save money, and create jobs.

"Philips brings products to market that have meaningful innovation and a real impact on people's lives, and we believe LED lighting not only redefines the art of what is possible, as demonstrated by the Empire State Building project and the Philips hue platform, but it can also have an enormous impact on our environmental footprint," said Bruno Biasiotta, CEO and president of Philips Lighting Americas. "The ENERGY STAR program gives customers validation that our LED products live up to their claims while surpassing the milestones of traditional technologies by using 85 percent less energy and lasting up to 25 times longer without sacrificing light quality. In fact, LED technology positions our customers for the future by giving them better control over their lighting, a better view into their energy usage, and integration with other systems, which allows them to further reduce their consumption and environmental footprint."

For more information about Philips ENERGY STAR qualified products or programs please visit http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/lightcommunity/trends/enduraled/index.wpd or for more information on ENERGY STAR please visit www.energystar.gov.

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. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. Nearly 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2012 sales of EUR 24.8 billion and employs approximately 118,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming, home and portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

SOURCE Royal Philips Electronics