TALLAHASSEE, FL. (March 28, 2023) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring five ENERGY STAR partners in Florida for their outstanding leadership in promoting energy efficiency and tackling climate change.
“As we accelerate historic efforts to address climate change, public-private partnerships will be essential to realizing the scale of our ambition,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I applaud this year’s ENERGY STAR award winners for working with EPA to deliver a clean energy future that saves American consumers and businesses money and creates jobs.”
“We congratulate our 2023 Energy Star Partners of the Year in R4 States for their leadership and commitment to taking action that will help us leave a healthier planet for future generations,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman. “The awardees demonstrate national leadership in cost-saving energy efficient solutions which help benefit communities in the Southeast.”
For more than 30 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has supported the transition to a clean energy economy by fostering innovation, jobs, and economic development, while protecting public health. ENERGY STAR certified products, homes, buildings, and plants helped save American families and businesses more than 520 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and avoid $42 billion in energy costs in 2020 alone.
Here are a few examples of how 2023 ENERGY STAR Award Winners in Florida are taking action:
- Clearwater, FL – Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, an affordable home builder and volunteer organization, constructed 28 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 300 homes since joining the program in 2012, and continued to make homeownership affordable for underserved families by reducing their energy bills by 40% relative to code-built homes and 60%– 70% relative to older rental units.
- Sarasota, FL – Intertape Polymer Group Inc., a manufacturer of tapes and packaging materials, achieved a 2.3% energy intensity reduction by leveraging ENERGY STAR tools and resources. Sustained Excellence winner for eight years.
- Largo, FL – Pinellas County Schools, an investment, property, asset, and energy management software development company, benchmarked energy use for more than 5,500 properties and submitted nearly 140 ENERGY STAR building certifications. Sustained Excellence winner for one year.
- New Port Richey, FL – Welbilt/Cleveland/Convotherm/Delfield/Frymaster/Garland, a commercial food service equipment manufacturer, introduced five new ENERGY STAR certified commercial ovens and increased its overall product offerings, while showing leadership as a partner in co-marketing and promotion of ENERGY STAR. Sustained Excellence winner for seven 12 years.
- Jacksonville, FL – Providence Homes, a local home builder, constructed over 60 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 1,900 since joining the program in 2009 and educated the local real estate community on the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR certified homes through sales and marketing training.Sustained Excellence winner for seven years.
Read more about the ENERGY STAR Awards and Award Winners’ achievements.
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 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 American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts