Sears Earns 2019 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Awards in Three Top Categories for the Second Consecutive Year

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Transform HoldCo LLC announced that Sears has been named a 2019 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award winner. The recognition is for continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements in the Retailer and Energy Management categories. In addition, for the second consecutive year the Kenmore brand has been named an ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year - Product Brand Owner. Sears' and Kenmore's accomplishments will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019.

An ENERGY STAR partner since 1998, Sears will be honored for long-term commitment to energy efficiency. The company's accomplishments in 2018 included:

• Energy Savings: Completed an LED retrofit of a two million square foot distribution center, which is projected to save as much as 95% of the lighting power consumed. As a result, our anticipated annual energy savings will exceed $560,000 and 7.7 million kWh which is enough to power 3,936,134 homes each year.
• Responsible Appliance Disposal: From January to September 2018, Sears processed and responsibly disposed of more than 168,000 refrigerators, freezers, air conditioner units and dehumidifiers. These efforts resulted in avoided greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 600 metric tons CO2 equivalent and total energy savings of an estimated 1 billion kWh.
• Product Selection and Sales of ENERGY STAR Products: From Sears' sales of ENERGY STAR products in 2018, customers were able to achieve energy savings of 284 million kWh, $63 million in utility costs, 437 million pounds of CO2 reduced, or equivalent emissions of 42,000 cars. In 2018, Sears offered 1,087 unique ENERGY STAR certified models across categories such as appliances, consumer electronics, doors, windows, and HVAC. For the fifth straight year, more than 99% of our door and window installations were completed using ENERGY STAR certified products.
• Training: Kenmore trained more than 1,200 store owners and sales associates at the Sears Hometown Tradeshow on the customer value as well as energy and water savings of a Kenmore ENERGY STAR certified major appliance.
• Marketing: Sears distributed 1 million circulars featuring 41 ENERGY STAR certified Kenmore major appliances to Sears and Kmart stores, auto centers, outbound sears.com fulfillments, in-home technicians, as well as mailers for 2018 Black Friday. In addition, Sears was able to leverage ENERGY STAR promotions and communications in the Puerto Rico market including the Flip Your Fridge campaign, which saw a 105% increase in refrigeration sales (YoY).

"We value our partnership with ENERGY STAR and are honored to receive the Partner of the Year Award in Sustained Excellence for the tenth consecutive year in Retail, for the eighth consecutive year in Energy Management and for the second year as Partner of the Year for our highly recognized Kenmore brand," said Peter Boutros, chief brand officer of Sears and Kmart and president of Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands. "Protecting the environment and inspiring our members to do the same is important to our associates. We remain committed to helping increase efficiency, offering savings to our members and protecting the environment." 

"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 a complete list of 2019 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR's awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Sears
Sears is a leading integrated retailer providing a wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through Sears-branded and affiliated full-line and specialty retail stores, as well as through Sears.com. Home to some of the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S., Sears' product offering includes Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard. Sears is part of Shop Your Way, a social shopping program where members can earn points and receive benefits both in stores and online. Sears is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 6,000 expert technicians who make nearly 11 million service calls annually. For more information, visit the Sears website at www.sears.com.

About the Kenmore Brand
The Kenmore Brand is an industry leader in delivering trusted performance in the home with smart and stylish appliance innovations that help consumers do things quicker, easier and better. Recognized as a top appliance brand for over 100 years, the Kenmore brand continues to give consumers more time, efficiency and improved results for better living, with industry-leading products across small and larger appliance categories. For more information, visit www.kenmore.com, https://www.kenmore.com/press-kit/ or www.facebook.com/kenmore.

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. 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.

CONTACT:
Larry Costello, PR Director
Sears / Kmart
(847) 286-9036

SOURCE Sears

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