ENERGY EFFICIENCY GROWS OUR ECONOMY AND ADDRESSES CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is one of the global community’s most pressing environmental issues. Due to tough economic times, 

coupled with volatile energy prices and energy security concerns, cost-effective solutions to reduce greenhouse 

gas (GHG) emissions are more important than ever for businesses, consumers, and organizations. Despite being 

a proven strategy that can protect the environment while stimulating the economy and creating new jobs, many 

energy efficiency opportunities remain. However, a growing number of Americans across the country are taking 

bold steps to seize this opportunity to fight climate change and reduce their utility bills by investing in energyefficient technologies and practices. 

In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the ENERGY STAR program. Since that time the 

program has overcome market barriers and advanced the adoption of energy-efficient products, practices, and 

services across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. ENERGY STAR continues to be regarded as 

the trusted source of unbiased information that helps Americans identify reliable, cost-effective, energy-saving 

solutions that protect the environment by reducing GHG emissions. 

Through 2010, more than 20,000 organizations have partnered with EPA, achieving significant environmental and 

financial benefits. This document provides a brief overview of key ENERGY STAR achievements in 2010. A more 

comprehensive summary of the program’s accomplishments will be available later in 2011.

RESULTS FOR 2010

2010 proved to be another year of remarkable growth and sustained success for the ENERGY STAR program. 

Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, prevented 170 million metric tons of GHG emissions1 in 2010 alone––

equivalent to the annual emissions from 33 million vehicles (see Fig. 1)—and saved about $18 billion on their utility 

bills. EPA predicts that these benefits will continue to increase in the years ahead as more and more households, 

businesses, and organizations look to ENERGY STAR for guidance and make energy efficiency changes in the way 

they live and work.

ENERGY STAR PARTNERS

A diverse set of public and private organizations nationwide are joining forces with the federal government through 

ENERGY STAR to protect the environment, while bringing the value of energy efficiency to their customers, the 

public, and themselves. ENERGY STAR partners include:

 More than 1,600 manufacturers using the ENERGY STAR to label and differentiate more than 40,000 individual 

product models. 

 More than 1,400 retail partners bringing ENERGY STAR qualified products and educational information to 

their customers. 

 More than 8,400 builder partners constructing new homes that qualify as ENERGY STAR in every state and the 

District of Columbia—saving homeowners money while improving their comfort. 

 More than 5,800 private businesses, public sector organizations, and industrial facilities investing in energy 

efficiency and reducing energy use in their buildings and facilities. 

ENERGY STAR® OVERVIEW OF 

2010 ACHIEVEMENTS

Fig. 1. Since 2000, ENERGY STAR Benefits Have More Than Tripled

1

 All reductions in annual greenhouse gas emissions are reported in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e).
 More than 700 utilities, states, and other energy efficiency 

program sponsors nationwide leveraging ENERGY STAR to 

improve the efficiency of commercial buildings and homes. 

 Thousands of energy service providers, home energy raters, 

financial institutions, architects, and building engineers 

making energy efficiency more widely available through 

ENERGY STAR—providing additional value to their customers. 

ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED PRODUCTS

The American public trusts ENERGY STAR as the national 

symbol for energy efficiency to inform their purchasing decisions, 

save them money, and protect the environment. By relying on 

ENERGY STAR for products, Americans know they can save on 

utility bills, while reducing the emissions that contribute to climate 

change. 

Highlights for 2010

Qualified Products. Americans purchased about 200 million 

ENERGY STAR qualified products in 2010 across more than 

60 product categories for a cumulative total of almost 3.5 billion 

products since 2000 (see Fig. 2). Qualified products—including 

appliances, heating and cooling equipment, consumer 

electronics, office equipment, lighting fixtures, and more—

offer consumer savings of as much as 65% relative to standard 

models. Today, more than 80% of the American public recognizes 

the ENERGY STAR label. Of the households that knowingly 

purchased an ENERGY STAR qualified product, about 75% 

credited the label as an important factor in their decision.

ENERGY STAR Product Specifications. EPA updated performance 

requirements for light commercial heating and cooling equipment, 

water coolers, and hot food holding cabinets. Having successfully 

transformed the market toward greater energy efficiency, EPA 

sunset the ENERGY STAR specifications for digital-to-analog 

converter boxes and external power adapters. 

Program Enhancements for ENERGY STAR Qualified Products.

In 2010, EPA instituted third-party certification across the 

entire suite of ENERGY STAR product categories. Under the 

new requirements, a product’s performance must be certified 

by an EPA-recognized third-party based on testing in an EPArecognized lab before it can be labeled with the ENERGY STAR. 

In addition, all ENERGY STAR manufacturing partners must 

participate in verification testing programs run by recognized 

certification bodies. In consultation with certification testing 

experts and other stakeholders, EPA developed formal criteria 

for recognizing accreditation bodies, certification bodies, and 

laboratories that leverage international standards. The new 

requirements went into effect January 1, 2011, reinforcing 

consumer confidence in ENERGY STAR as the trusted symbol for 

energy efficiency and environmental protection. 

Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR Campaign. In 

its third year, Americans across the country are making a 

difference for the environment as part of EPA’s Change the World, 

Start with ENERGY STAR national campaign. People are taking 

small, energy-saving steps at home and in their communities 

that make a big difference in the fight against climate change. 

Through 2010, more than 2.7 million people have pledged to take 

action. Additionally, EPA activated more than 500,000 American 

youth and their families in energy efficiency projects in their 

communities, schools, and homes through campaign partnerships 

with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, DoSomething.org, and 

Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTO) Today.

ENERGY STAR FOR THE HOME

Whether making energy-saving improvements to their existing 

home or looking for an energy-efficient new home, Americans 

rely on ENERGY STAR. Through ENERGY STAR, EPA offers 

best practices and products that consumers can use to 

reduce household energy use, save on their utility bills, and 

improve comfort. 

Highlights for 2010

Nearly 1.2 Million New Homes Have Earned the ENERGY STAR.

More than 126,000 new homes were constructed to meet ENERGY 

STAR guidelines in 2010 (see Fig. 3), bringing the total number 

of ENERGY STAR qualified homes to nearly 1.2 million to date. In 

2011, EPA will begin phasing in new and more rigorous guidelines 

for homes to earn the ENERGY STAR. Once fully implemented in 

2012, homes built to the new ENERGY STAR for Homes Version 3 

guidelines will be at least 15% more energy efficient than those 

built to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Home Improvement. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR 

(HPwES), EPA’s flagship whole-house retrofit program, continued 

to expand in 2010 with over 35,000 homes improved through 

locally sponsored programs across the country. Such growth 

brings the total number of homes improved through HPwES 

to more than 110,000. Eight new sponsors started HPwES 

programs—bringing the total number to more than 35 programs 

across more than 30 states.

Home Energy Performance Tools. More than 95,000 consumers 

used EPA’s online Home Energy Yardstick to compare their homes’ 

energy use to others across the country. Over 55,000 homeowners 

used the interactive ENERGY STAR Home Advisor to find 

customized recommendations for improving the energy efficiency 

of their homes.

Affordable Housing. More than 5,200 ENERGY STAR qualified 

homes were built in 2010 using funding from the U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME program. 

In addition, 49 of 50 state housing finance agencies promoted 

ENERGY STAR qualified products and/or homes in their federal 

Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program’s Qualified Allocation 

Fig. 2. Almost 3.5 Billion ENERGY STAR Qualified Products 

Purchased Since 2000

*Lighting category does not include purchases of compact fluorescent bulbs.
Fig. 3. Nearly 1.2 Million Homes Nationwide Have Earned 

the ENERGY STAR Label

Fig. 4. Steady Growth in Building Space Benchmarked 

and Certified

*The decrease in the number of homes qualified reflects the overall decrease in the total 

number of homes built.

*2001-2008 includes only buildings eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR energy performance 

score. 2009 and beyond includes those buildings as well as buildings eligible to receive an 

EUI (Energy Use Intensity).

Plans in 2010. Further, more than 300 Habitat for Humanity 

affiliates nationwide built over 1,200 ENERGY STAR qualified 

homes for low-income families. 

ENERGY STAR FOR BUSINESS

A growing number of organizations turned to EPA for ENERGY 

STAR tools and resources that support their energy-saving 

efforts. These organizations are leading by example as they 

implement strategic energy management programs across entire 

portfolios of buildings and plants, resulting in continuous energy 

efficiency improvements. 

Highlights for 2010

Sustaining Top Performance Through ENERGY STAR. More 

than 6,200 buildings earned the ENERGY STAR in 2010 alone, 

nearly a 60% increase from the previous year. Of these buildings, 

about 40% had previously earned the ENERGY STAR, showing 

consistent energy savings among these top performers. About 

10% of all ENERGY STAR certified buildings use 50% less energy 

than typical buildings. Overall, more than 12,600 buildings, 

representing more than 2 billion square feet of space, and nearly 

50 plants, have earned the ENERGY STAR (see Fig. 4). 

Buildings Owners Demonstrate Significant Improvement.

One hundred fifty organizations have been recognized as 

ENERGY STAR Leaders for making portfolio-wide improvements 

and in some cases achieving top performance across their 

portfolio. For the first time, an organization achieved a 50% 

portfolio-wide improvement milestone. Demonstrating sustained 

reductions, 60% of the organizations have reached multiple 

improvement milestones. Additionally, ENERGY STAR Service and 

Product Provider partners have helped more than 8,300 client 

buildings improve their energy use by 10 points or more.

National Competition to Work Off the Waste with ENERGY STAR.

In 2010, EPA launched its first ever National Building Competition. 

Teams from 14 buildings across the country, of all shapes and 

sizes, went head-to-head to see who could reduce their energy 

use the most. The greatest successes occurred in buildings that 

raised awareness and engaged occupants in energy saving 

efforts. The winning building, Morrison Residence Hall at the

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, won with an almost 36% 

energy use reduction in just one year.

Widespread Energy Management Tracking. The energy 

performance of more than 200,000 buildings—representing over 

20 billion square feet, or more than 25% of the total market—has 

been assessed using EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 

Portfolio Manager Expansion. EPA’s benchmarking tool, 

Portfolio Manager, was expanded to add data centers, a unique 

building type now eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR score 

and certification. EPA also added additional reporting features, 

including a custom reporting template that allows users to send 

data directly from Portfolio Manager to outside stakeholders.

Governments Nationwide Rely on ENERGY STAR. EPA helped 

other federal agencies and state and local governments leverage 

ENERGY STAR to implement innovative programs across the 

country. Projects funded through the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act, energy mandates for energy disclosure, and 

awareness-raising efforts about energy use and reductions 

in commercial buildings through innovative campaigns and 

competitions all relied on the ENERGY STAR platform.

Building Performance with ENERGY STAR. In partnership with 

several states and utilities, EPA announced a pilot program 

designed to further improve commercial building energy 

efficiency. Building Performance with ENERGY STAR is helping 

utilities and state energy efficiency programs achieve increased 

savings by strategically pursuing whole-building energy 

improvements with their business customers.

Industry Challenged to Save Energy. Nearly 200 industrial sites 

have responded to the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry. 

Launched in May 2010, 27 industrial sites have already stepped up 

to the challenge by achieving a verified 10% reduction in energy 

intensity in 5 years or less. Together, these sites will save over 

1.7 trillion Btus and 98,000 metric tons of GHG emissions annually. 

EPA initiated ENERGY STAR Industrial Focuses with the concrete 

and dairy industries—adding to its growing list of industryspecific energy management tools and resources. A new guide 

on energy efficiency in steel manufacturing was issued, and EPA 

released an energy performance indicator (EPI) for evaluating the 

energy efficiency of U.S. cookie and cracker baking plants. 
ENERGY STAR® AWARD WINNERS

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE

3M

St. Paul, MN

Advantage IQ, Inc.

Spokane, WA

APS (Arizona Public Service)

Phoenix, AZ

ArcelorMittal

Chicago, IL

Austin Energy

Austin, TX

Bentall Kennedy

Seattle, WA

Bosch Home Appliances

Huntington Beach, CA

CalPortland Company

Glendora, CA

CB Richard Ellis

Los Angeles, CA

CenterPoint Energy

Houston, TX

Community Housing Partners

Christiansburg, VA

Energy Education, Inc.

Dallas, TX

Energy Inspectors

Las Vegas, NV

Energy Trust of Oregon

Portland, OR

EnergyLogic

Berthoud, CO

Food Lion Family, Bloom and 

Bottom Dollar Food

Salisbury, NC

Ford Motor Company

Dearborn, MI

GE Appliances & Lighting

Louisville, KY

Gresham-Barlow School District

Gresham, OR

Hines

Houston, TX

ITW Food Equipment Group – 

North America

Troy, OH

J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

Plano, TX

Joint Management Committee

Lexington, MA

KB Home

Los Angeles, CA

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

Mooresville, NC

Merck

Whitehouse Station, NJ

Nashville Area Habitat 

for Humanity

Nashville, TN

New York State Energy Research 

and Development Authority 

(NYSERDA)

Albany, NY

New York-Presbyterian Hospital

New York, NY

Oncor

Dallas, TX

OSRAM SYLVANIA

Danvers, MA

Pacific Gas and Electric Company 

(PG&E)

San Francisco, CA

Pella Corporation

Pella, IA

PepsiCo, Inc.

Purchase, NY

Raytheon Company

Waltham, MA

Saint-Gobain

Valley Forge, PA

Servidyne

Atlanta, GA

Southern Energy Management

Morrisville, NC

Sponsors of Northeast Energy 

Efficiency Partnerships, Inc. 

(NEEP)

Lexington, MA

Sunoco, Inc.

Philadelphia, PA

TIAA-CREF

New York, NY

Toyota Motor Engineering & 

Manufacturing North America, 

Inc.

Erlanger, KY

TRANSWESTERN

Houston, TX

USAA Real Estate Company

San Antonio, TX

Whirlpool Corporation

Benton Harbor, MI

Wisconsin Focus on Energy

Madison, WI

PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Above and Beyond Energy

Wilmington, NC

AEP Texas

Corpus Christi, TX

Andersen Corporation

Bayport, MN

Citi

New York, NY

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, OH

Colgate-Palmolive Company

New York, NY

ComEd

Chicago, IL

Constellation Energy/Baltimore 

Gas and Electric Company 

(BGE)

Baltimore, MD

Continental Refrigerator

Bensalem, PA

Design Tech Homes

Spring, TX

Efficiency Vermont

Burlington, VT

Electrolux Major Appliances

Charlotte, NC

EnergyCAP, Inc.

State College, PA

Evergreen Public Schools

Vancouver, WA

FSL Home Improvements dba

FSL Home Energy Solutions

Phoenix, AZ

Gainesville Regional Utilities

(GRU)

Gainesville, FL

Hanesbrands Inc.

Winston-Salem, NC

HEI Hotels & Resorts

Norwalk, CT

Home Creations

Moore, OK

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.

Elgin, IL

Jones Lang LaSalle

Chicago, IL

Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc.

Menomonee Falls, WI

KPPC – Kentucky Pollution 

Prevention Center

Louisville, KY

LG&E and KU

Louisville, KY

Loudoun County Public Schools

Broadlands, VA

Manitowoc Foodservice

New Port Richey, FL

Meritage Homes

Scottsdale, AZ

Momentum, LLC

Boise, ID

New Jersey Board of Public 

Utilities

Trenton, NJ

New Mexico Gas Company

Albuquerque, NM

Nissan North America, Inc.

Franklin, TN

NVR, Inc.

Reston, VA

Panasonic Home & Environment 

Company

Secaucus, NJ

PNM

Albuquerque, NM

Public Service Company of 

Oklahoma (PSO)

Tulsa, OK

Questar Gas Company

Salt Lake City, UT

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Suwon, South Korea

Sears Holdings Corporation

Hoffman Estates, IL

Staples, Inc.

Framingham, MA

TexEnergy

Irving, TX

The Boeing Company

Chicago, IL

The E Group, a Division of 

FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.

Akron, OH

Wells Real Estate Funds

Norcross, GA

Xcel Energy

Minneapolis, MN

AWARDS FOR 

EXCELLENCE

ENERGY STAR Promotion

Long Island Power Authority 

(LIPA)

Uniondale, NY

National Grid

Waltham, MA

New Hampshire CORE Utilities

Manchester, NH

Orange County Environmental 

Protection Division

Orlando, FL

Southern California Edison 

Company

Rosemead, CA

Utah Building Energy Efficiency 

Strategies

Salt Lake City, UT

Affordable Housing

Coachella Valley Housing 

Coalition

Indio, CA

Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart 

County

Goshen, IN

Habitat for Humanity of Metro 

Denver

Denver, CO

National Housing Trust

Washington, DC

North Carolina Housing Finance 

Agency

Raleigh, NC

San Antonio Housing Authority

San Antonio, TX

Energy Efficient Product Design

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Taipei, Taiwan

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Lake Success, NY

DIRECTV

El Segundo, CA

Lennox Industries Inc.

Richardson, TX

Scotsman Ice Systems

Vernon Hills, IL

Sharp Electronics Corporation

Mahwah, NJ

Retailing

Menards

Eau Claire, WI

Metro Lighting

Brentwood, MO

Nationwide Marketing Group

Winston-Salem, NC

All values and figures for 2010 are preliminary as of March 1, 2011. Source for all figures: EPA Climate Protection Partnerships Division.

For more information, visit www.energystar.gov