HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD) today announced that the Sears store in Glen Burnie, Md., won second place in the U.S Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) first-ever National Building Competition. The competition challenged teams from fourteen buildings across the country to measure their energy use and work off the waste with help from the EPA's ENERGY STAR program.

The Glen Burnie team posted these impressive statistics:

• 31.7 percent reduction in energy use, which is comparable to the electricity used in 33 homes for a year (2)
• $45,612 savings on their energy bills, which is enough money to buy 61 ENERGY STAR Kenmore Elite High Efficiency Top Load washers (3)
• Reduced the carbon footprint of the store by more than 272 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equal to taking 52 cars off the road for a year (4)  

The Glen Burnie Sears Store reduced their energy consumption through numerous energy efficiency initiatives including, but not limited to:  An interior lighting retrofit of the entire store replacing inefficient 4 lamp 30w light fixtures with energy efficient 2 lamp 32w light fixtures which reduced consumption and realized higher light output to brighten the store for its associates and customers; modified level lighting used when the maintenance crew was cleaning by rebalancing the light to the proper levels; replaced worn or missing weather-stripping to stop air-infiltration and made necessary HVAC repairs on equipment not operating at peak performance as well as repositioned incorrectly placed interior zone temperature sensors to more accurately heat and cool the store. Finally and most importantly, store management and associates executed store disciplines for conserving energy as if the store were their own home by keeping doors closed when the air conditioning or heat was on and turned off lights when they were not in use.

"We are extremely proud of the Glen Burnie team, but this is just one example of our many sustainability initiatives," said Bruce Johnson, interim president and CEO.  He added, "Sears Holdings is committed to continuing to explore new ways to conserve natural resources and reduce waste while also saving money.  We are proud of the strides we're making and our efforts toward becoming a green company." For more information on Sears Holdings green initiatives, please visit http://www.searsholdings.com/green.

Together, the fourteen competitors reduced their energy use by 44 million kBtu, saved more than $950,000 in utility bills, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions equal to the electricity use of nearly 600 homes for a year. The National Building Competition measured energy reductions from September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010. The energy use of each building was monitored through EPA's ENERGY STAR online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. The winner is the building with the greatest percentage-based reduction in weather-normalized energy use intensity. Third party utility statements were required at the conclusion of the competition to verify the energy performance of each competitor.

"EPA is pleased to recognize the Glen Burnie Sears store for their achievements in working off the energy waste as part of the National Building Competition," said Maura Beard, Communications Director for the Commercial Buildings Branch of EPA's ENERGY STAR program. "All fourteen teams are outstanding examples of how energy efficiency is good business and helps Americans fight climate change while saving money on their energy bills."

The final rankings for EPA's National Building Competition are:

1. Morrison Residence Hall at UNC, Chapel Hill, NC (35.7%)
2. Sears Glen Burnie, Glen Burnie, MD (31.7%)
3. JCPenney, Orange, CA (28.4%)
4. 1525 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (28.0%)
5. 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY (18.1%)
6. Solon Family Health Center, Solon, OH (13.9%)
7. Crystal River Elementary School, Carbondale, CO (12.2%)
8. Tucker Residence Hall at NC State University, Raleigh, NC (10.3%)
9. Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown, San Diego, CA (8.6%)
10. Maplewood Mall, Maplewood, MN (6.7%)
11. Memorial Arts Building at Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, GA (5.7%)
12. Van Holten Primary School, Bridgewater, NJ (5.3%)
13. Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin, TX (1.9%)
14. Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, VA (1.5%)

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada.  Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance.  Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands.  It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart.  We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually.  Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation.  For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com.

For more information about Sears Holdings:  www.searsholdings.com

Learn more about EPA's National Building Competition:

http://www.energystar.gov/BuildingContest.

Read the Final Report and Highlights from EPA's First National Building Competition:

http://www.energystar.gov/BuildingContestReport.

(2) http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html - resultsData based on EPA National Building Competition final report  

(3) Item #02629002000 at a sale price of $739 on Oct. 22, 2010

(4) U.S. EPA calculations based on metric tons using Option 2 calculations

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation