GE Recognized with ENERGY STAR® Highest Award for Sixth Straight Year

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that GE Appliances & Lighting has been awarded the ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award for the sixth straight year and has previously received Partner of the Year award seven times. GE offers more than 750 ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting and appliance products that help consumers curb energy spending and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while helping them meet their needs for style, performance and innovation.

“GE’s long term leadership and commitment to energy efficiency demonstrates the types of accomplishments that we can all achieve in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our global environment. We look forward to their continued partnership and leadership.”

“GE Appliances & Lighting has earned EPA’s highest ENERGY STAR award - the 2011 Sustained Excellence Award,” said Elizabeth Craig, Acting Director of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs. “GE’s long term leadership and commitment to energy efficiency demonstrates the types of accomplishments that we can all achieve in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our global environment. We look forward to their continued partnership and leadership.”

GE Appliances – Efficient, Smart and Stylish

In 2010, more than 70 percent of GE's total dollar sales from appliances came from ENERGY STAR-qualified models, an increase of 13 percent over the previous year. GE introduced 131 new ENERGY STAR appliances in 2010, for a total of more than 420 ENERGY STAR-qualified base models.

Efficient use of Energy, Efficient use of Time. In addition to offering appliances that are efficient, GE offers cutting-edge innovations that meet consumers’ lifestyles. A prime example of this is the innovative ENERGY STAR-qualified GE Profile™ frontload steam washer, which has an “Overnight Ready” cycle. Have your clothes washed and ready to wear in eight hours or less, without changing the load from the washer to the dryer.¹

Savings that Add Up. Among ENERGY STAR-qualified products achieving great success in the market is the GeoSpring™ hybrid water heater, which was introduced in 2009 as the first water heater to be ENERGY STAR® rated. The heat-pump electric water heater reduces electricity costs by up to 62 percent, saving as much as $320 annually on energy bills.²

Smart and Efficient. In 2010, GE took efficiency to the next level – by adding intelligence. Last year, GE launched its Brillion™ suite of home energy solutions, including Nucleus™ energy manager, as well as a programmable thermostat, energy display, and ENERGY STAR®-qualified appliances. Each Brillion-enabled product is equipped to communicate with smart grid technologies – including smart meters – to help people better manage their energy use and costs. Read more: http://www.GEBrillion.com.

GE Lighting Leads the Way to More Efficient Living

In 2010, GE listed 345 ENERGY STAR-qualified Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) products, an 18 percent increase in products from 2009. Of the total GE CFL unit sales last year, approximately 97 percent were ENERGY STAR-qualified. In 2010, GE also introduced 52 new CFL products (SKUs) that were either qualified or submitted for inclusion in the ENERGY STAR-qualified products list.

Savings Over Decades. Making history in 2010, GE introduced the first standard incandescent shape (A-line) LED bulb to earn an ENERGY STAR rating. This 9-watt GE Energy Smart® LED bulb replaces a 40-watt incandescent bulb and offers a 77 percent energy savings compared to an incandescent bulb. Based on three hours of use per day, the GE LED bulb is rated to last over 22 years. If every U.S. household replaced just one 40-watt incandescent with this new LED bulb, it would prevent 5 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year and save $400 million annually in energy costs.

Variety to Light up Life. In 2010, GE continued to add the shapes, colors and features to its CFL line-up that make the transition from traditional to ENERGY STAR a no-brainer for consumers. GE added smaller three-way CFL bulbs (T3) that fit into a greater variety of fixtures; three wattages of Safe-T-Gard® CFLs that have a protective coating to contain glass if broken; and a portfolio of Daylight colored (6500 Kelvin) CFLs available as reflectors, A-shape for ceiling fans, and globes.

A Leader in Education. GE continues to drive awareness of ENERGY STAR through a wide variety of consumer-focused promotional vehicles. The Earth Day Project Plant-a-Bulb promotion grew even stronger in 2010, with a “cars off the road” video and strong web presence, resulting in 91 million impressions. During the month of April, for every viewing of the video, GE donated a flower bulb (CFL) to schools and communities across the country.

Learn more about GE’s ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting products at: http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/products/energy_star.htm.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants associated with energy use. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 kinds of products as well as new homes and buildings. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas equivalent to those of 34 million cars. Products, homes and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. For more information, go to energystar.gov.

About GE Appliances & Lighting
GE Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company's ecomagination(SM) initiative enable GE Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, Café™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

¹ 2.5 lbs. AHAM spec allows drying of up to eight different types of garments – eight synthetics (sports uniforms, jerseys or scrubs), five light cottons (slacks or dress shirts), or two heavy cottons (a pair of jeans or towels).
² Based on DOE test procedure and comparison of a 50-gallon standard electric tank water heater using 4881 kWh per year vs. the GE GeoSpring hybrid water heater using 1856 kWh per year, and national average of 10.65 cents per kWh

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