Feature Article /
Apr 17, 2023

Introducing the 2023 ENERGY STAR Award Winners

Energy Star Partner of the Year

Image: Energy Star

For more than 30 years, ENERGY STAR has been one of America’s leading resources for energy efficiency, preventing over 4 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, while saving consumers and businesses over $500 billion, the program says. Its 2023 award winners join a growing list of building product manufacturers (BPMs) and businesses pushing the envelope of energy efficiency in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors.

What is ENERGY STAR? 

ENERGY STAR is a government-certified symbol for energy efficiency administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The program helps Americans make well-informed consumer decisions inside and outside of the home. To date, approximately 1,700 manufacturers and 1,200 retailers partner with ENERGY STAR to make and sell millions of ENERGY STAR certified products, the company says.

With the help of its product certifications and residential and commercial building standards, the ENERGY STAR program has helped American families and businesses save “5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs, and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions,” according to EPA’s research


Green Building Council and Energy Star logos

The ENERGY STAR awards are announced each year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Image: Eric BVD / Stock.adobe.com

READ MORE: Products Newswire


ENERGY STAR’s Annual Awards Program 

Every year, ENERGY STAR awards are granted to partner companies that have made  “outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements” by producing, manufacturing, and promoting certified products, the foundation says. Program partners can submit nominations or apply for annual awards through the application portal located on the ENERGY STAR website.

Among this year’s 221 winners ENERGY STAR is recognizing more than 170 organizations for their “year-over-year commitment to energy efficiency through the program’s highest honor: ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence winner,” the organization says. In addition, ENERGY STAR recently named its annual Partner of the Year, Contractor of the Year, and Excellence award winners for their contributions towards energy efficiency in the built environment.


Award Winners: Energy Professionals

Award Winners: Building Pros

Award Winners: BPM/Suppliers


Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence

The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award is given to partners who  have “already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition,” ENERGY STAR says. Only partners who have been recognized for past achievements are eligible to apply. 

Partner of the Year

The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards recognize partners meeting and exceeding program criteria through energy management, home building, and product manufacturing, among a number of other categories. The Partner of the Year Award is granted each year to “partner businesses and organizations in good standing that demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, and commitment to environmental protection through energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR,” according to the award guidelines

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Contractor of the Year

The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Contractor of the Year Award is presented by EPA to ENERGY STAR participating contractors in good standing who use innovative building science solutions to improve homes. Those who have received the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Contractor of the Year Award across multiple years are eligible to receive the Sustained Excellence Award in the same category.

Excellence Award

The final annual award most recently announced by ENERGY STAR is the Excellence Award, which honors partner companies and organizations excelling in data innovation, ENERGY STAR marketing, and product design. The Excellence Award is mostly reserved for retailers, manufacturers, energy efficiency program sponsors, service and product providers, and state and local governments, though any ENERGY STAR partners contributing to energy efficiency in their respective professions are also encouraged to apply. 

Energy Professionals 

PEG
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

Fairfax, Virginia-based PEG certified more than 7,500 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022 for a total of over 97,000 since 2007, and the home energy rating and HVAC design engineering company also facilitated over a dozen in-person sessions at state-wide events to educate more than 1,000 builders and vendors on ENERGY STAR program requirements, utility rebates, and the 45L Tax Credit extension.

EnergyLogic, Inc.
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

Based out of Berthoud, Colorado, EnergyLogic is a home energy rating and applied building science company that certified more than 1,800 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022 for a total of nearly 40,000 since 2001. EnergyLogic also enhanced its website to better promote the value of ENERGY STAR certification and associated EPA whole-house labels, resulting in a 50% increase in web traffic to the ENERGY STAR-related pages. 

GreenSavers
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

With 2,200 home energy assessments and 781 home performance projects completed, GreenSavers surpassed its 2021 record for heat pump sales by 58% without incentives to switch from gas furnaces to heat pumps and increased Home Performance with ENERGY STAR projects completed by more than 10%.

GDS Associates
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

Home energy rating company GDS Associates certified more than 900 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of nearly 13,000 since 2006. Conducting in-field training with project management, site supervisors, and purchasing; sales, marketing, and subcontractor staff to identify new strategies to meet ENERGY STAR program requirements and maintain builder commitments to the program. 

MaGrann Associates
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

MaGrann Associates, a home energy rating company, certified nearly 800 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of over 56,000 since 1997. Certifying 433 all-electric units and encouraging clients pursuing ENERGY STAR certification to implement all-electric projects, consulting on how they can choose all-electric systems while still meeting ENERGY STAR program requirements. 

EDGE Energy
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

Home performance company EDGE Energy boosted its duct sealing completions by 39% over the previous year, reducing air leaks by an average of 50–90%. EDGE Energy also performed 655 home energy assessments and increased home performance projects by 9%, achieving an average savings of 18.6 MMBtu per project. 

Ideal Air Conditioning and Insulation
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

Ideal Air Conditioning and Insulation is a home energy efficiency and HVAC contractor based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Ideal Air assessed 892 homes in 2022, almost twice the number performed in 2021, and completed 347 Home Performance with ENERGY STAR projects, a 30% increase over 2021. 

Wise Home Energy
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

In 2022, Wise Home Energy achieved an increase in total annual energy savings of almost 20% over 2021 with average energy savings to 35 MMBtu per project. The home performance company also increased heat pump sales by more than 50%.

Southern Energy Management
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

Southern Energy Management certified more than 1,500 homes in 2022, created showroom displays and “silent sellers” to help builders showcase the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR certification, and Provided on-demand access to ENERGY STAR marketing materials for builder clients through its “High-Performance Homes Resource Hub.”

US-EcoLogic
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

U.S. Eco Logic, Inc./TexEnergy Solutions certified more than 2,000 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of over 56,000 since 2002. The Irving, Texas-based home energy rating company also provided technical training to over 100 local trades and contractors to help them implement ENERGY STAR program requirements. 

Home Energy Medics
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

Home Energy Medics helped its customers reduce energy bills by as much as 50% through HVAC and envelope improvements and increased average energy savings per project to 129 MMBtu in 2022.

Pando Alliance
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Energy Rating Company

Pando Alliance, a home energy rating company, certified more than 700 dwelling units as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of over 5,000 since 2011.

Ciel Power
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

Ciel Power ended 2022 with 512 home performance assessments and 96 home performance projects completed—a 25% increase over the previous year. The home performance contractor also launched its 13th public/private energy program and joined an effort to uncover common barriers to household electrification to be addressed in future program designs.

Green Team LI
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

Green Team LI increased average home energy savings to 50MMBtu by including whole-house heat pumps in more projects. In 2022, the home energy efficiency contractor completed 883 home energy audits and 364 home performance projects through its Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partnership.

Building Efficiency Resources
Partner of the Year - Energy Rating Company

Home energy rating company Building Efficiency Resources certified more than 3,000 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of more than 28,000 since 2010. The company also trained over 300 home energy raters and rating field inspectors on ENERGY STAR program requirements.

EAM Associates
Partner of the Year - Energy Rating Company

EAM Associates certified 1,400 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of over 20,000 since 2002. In addition, the home energy rating company promoted the importance of HVAC grading and ENERGY STAR certification at multiple state and local industry conferences for policymakers, builders, code enforcement officials, real estate professionals, and home inspectors. 

ReVireo
Partner of the Year - Energy Rating Company

ReVireo, a home energy rating company, certified 300 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2022, for a total of nearly 8,000 since 2011.

Building Pros

Habitat for Humanity—Metro Denver
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, a nonprofit, affordable home builder and volunteer organization, constructed 31 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 360 homes since joining the program in 2002. 

McStain Neighborhoods
Partner of the Year - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

McStain Neighborhoods, a regional home builder, constructed over 80 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 2,100 since joining the program in 2001.

AZ Energy Efficient Home
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR - Sustained Excellence - Contractor of the Year

AZ Energy Efficient Home is an energy efficiency contractor. AZ Energy Efficient Home developed bi-weekly newsletters focusing on home performance topics, leading to a 15% increase in organic search website traffic over six months.

KB Home
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

KB Home, one of the nation’s largest home builders, constructed over 12,000 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 174,000 homes since 2000, and utilized ENERGY STAR as its preferred platform for communicating its achievements in building homes that are more energy efficient and sustainable.

Beazer Homes USA
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Beazer Homes U.S.A., a large national home builder, constructed more than 3,700 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 80,000 homes since joining the program in 2011. The company also  incorporated innovative technologies, such as Tesla solar roof tiles, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging, into its homes.

Brighton Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Brighton Homes, a Meridian, Idaho-based home builder, constructed more than 160 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 2,000 homes since joining the program in 2009.

Fulton Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Based out of Tempe, Arizona, regional home builder Fulton Homes constructed more than 650 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 7,600 homes since joining the program in 2008.

Providence Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Jacksonville, Florida-based Providence Homes constructed over 60 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 1,900 since joining the program in 2009, and those homes were, on average, 70% tighter and 30% more energy efficient than code.

Chinburg Builders
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Chinburg Builders, a regional home builder based out of Newmarket, New Hampshire, built nearly 80 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 800 ENERGY STAR certified homes since joining the program in 2004.

New Tradition Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

New Tradition Homes, a Vancouver, Washington-based regional home builder, constructed more than 250 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of over 3,000 since joining the program in 2004. 

Mandalay Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Based in Prescott, Arizona, Mandalay Homes constructed over 100 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of nearly 1,300 since joining the program in 2013.

Main Street Homes
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Main Street Homes, a local home builder in Midlothian, Virginia, built over 300 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 2,100 since 2001.

Design Tech Homes
Partner of the Year - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

Spring, Texas-based Design Tech Homes, constructed 60 ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2022, for a total of more than 1,800 homes since joining the program in 2001.

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties
Partner of the Year - New Home Builder and Affordable Housing

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. The organization also made 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.

BPM/Suppliers

LG Electronics
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, LG Electronics increased sales of ENERGY STAR certified products by over $700 million to $4.3 billion, an 18% increase over 2021. In addition, the consumer electronics, home appliances, and mobile communications manufacturer exceeded 1 million units in sales of ENERGY STAR certified products across refrigerators, washers, and dryers, including 43 models earning the ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology 2022 Award.

Pentair plc
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Since 2005, Pentair plc’s ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps have been responsible for a cumulative 38.8 billion kWh of energy savings, and unit sales represent 46% of all ENERGY STAR pool pumps sold. In 2022, the company offered 17 ENERGY STAR certified pool pump models, which is a 55% increase in ENERGY STAR certified pool pumps available year-over-year. 

SoftLite Windows & Doors
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner - Windows, Doors, and Skylights

In 2022, ENERGY STAR certified models accounted for 99% of SoftLite’s total sales (in dollars)  and over 8% of all products shipped were recognized as ENERGY STAR Most Efficient products. SoftLite Windows & Doors also trained and tested 100% of new and existing employees and over 600 dealer employees—a 39% increase—with a revamped ENERGY STAR training program.

Samsung Electronics
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Samsung Electronics introduced the first mass-market smart home energy management system (SHEMS) to earn the ENERGY STAR certification and became the first major brand to certify televisions to the latest ENERGY STAR criteria. 

GE Lighting, a Savant company
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

GE Lighting, a Savant Company, increased year-over-year sales and new SKUs of GE-branded ENERGY STAR certified lighting across the retail spectrum in 2022, and the company also featured the ENERGY STAR label on endcaps and in utility-sponsored displays at major retailers.

Schneider Electric
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Service and Product Provider

In 2022, Schneider Electric benchmarked more than 59,000 properties and submitted nearly 160 buildings for ENERGY STAR certification. In addition, the energy management and automation services company assisted a large home builder with benchmarking and smart metering, helping homeowners reduce energy and costs by more than $800 million annually.

Air King America
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Throughout the past year, Air King America increased sales of an entry-level, affordable line of ENERGY STAR certified fans by 15% through a campaign designed to deliver better indoor air quality to homes using more efficient products to major U.S. homebuilders. In addition, the PA-based manufacturer offered 16 of the top 20 most efficient ENERGY STAR exhaust fans and the top 15 most efficient range hoods, including some of the lowest cost models.

Beko US
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Beko US introduced the CornerIntense dishwasher that uses 50% less energy and 25% less energy than federal standards mandate. The company’s first national dishwasher campaign for this ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2022 model secured nearly 22 million impressions.

Panasonic Eco Systems North America
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Panasonic earned ENERGY STAR certification for 94% of vent fans, representing 99% of sales, with 55% of sales being ENERGY STAR Most Efficient ventilation fans. The company’s commitment to certifying products and training employees, distributors, and retailers about the benefits of ENERGY STAR also led to product sales that contributed to electricity savings of 32.8 Terawatt hours in 2022.

A.O. Smith 
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

A.O. Smith promoted ENERGY STAR and educated industry pros on energy efficiency in 2022 by hosting more than 186,000 participants for classes specifically related to high-efficiency products, with an emphasis on ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters.

Broan-NuTone
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Over the past year, Broan-NuTone introduced six new ENERGY STAR certified range hood models, presented at leading industry conferences, and promoted ENERGY STAR certified fans and range hoods to builders, including a buying group with over 1,400 builders.

Andersen Corporation
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner - Windows, Doors, and Skylights

In 2022, Andersen Corporation provided ENERGY STAR themed promotional point-of-purchase/point-of-sale materials for dealer showrooms and major home improvement retailers in over 1,500 locations with an average of six stock order displays per store, resulting in 18,000 impressions across all the locations.

Rheem Manufacturing Company
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Rheem debuted the first ENERGY STAR certified 120-volt heat pump water heater in 2022, a ready-to-use, drop-in gas replacement offering 55% savings in energy costs compared to a standard tank-type gas water heater. The company also launched four Innovative Learning Centers and hosting groups of contractors for intensive, hands-on, and virtual trainings on ENERGY STAR products such as tankless and hybrid electric water heaters.

L'Image Home Products
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Montreal-based L’Image Home Products sold enough ENERGY STAR certified bulbs to avoid GHG emissions equivalent to those of approximately 18,000 passenger vehicles driven in one year. 

Bradford White Corporation
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Bradford White successfully drove consumer traffic to the company’s dedicated ENERGY STAR website, which received 13,833 page views in 2022. The company also reached over 2,500 individuals on the benefits of its ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters through in-person training, webinars, LinkedIn, and collateral materials.

Emerson Sensi
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Emerson incorporated a video featuring ENERGY STAR into its Amazon product pages, resulting in 3.2 million consumer impressions. The company also conducted over 1,200 training sessions in 2022 to educate contractors about the value of ENERGY STAR.

Greenlite
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Lighting manufacturer Greenlite continued to increase energy efficiency in 2022 by delivering ENERGY STAR certified bulbs that far exceed the 100 lumens-per-watt minimum for ENERGY STAR certification.

Bosch Home Appliances
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

In 2022, Bosch Home Appliances incorporated ENERGY STAR and energy efficiency messaging across marketing and communications efforts, including matte releases, broadcast segments, a consumer survey, and a press release—garnering over 4.9B impressions. The company also introduced the 500 Series ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator.

Ecobee
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence - Product Brand Owner

Along with providing exceptional support for the ENERGY STAR smart thermostat specification improvement through its unique Donate Your Data program, smart thermostat manufacturer ecobee doubled its lineup of ENERGY STAR certified products and added additional energy-saving features to products already in subscribers’ homes.

Google Nest: Energy Partnerships Team
Excellence Awards - Product Design

In 2022, Google Nest pioneered smart thermostats, was key to the establishment of smart thermostat recognition, and was the first to certify a model as ENERGY STAR.

Electrolux
Partner of the Year - Product Brand Owner

Electrolux, a global appliance company, increased ENERGY STAR certified model offerings by 58% in 2022 and offered ENERGY STAR training sessions to 2,500 internal employees and 20,000 external retailer employees.

The Home Depot
Partner of the Year - Retailer

Throughout 2022, Home Depot offered over $500 million in discounts or markdowns for ENERGY STAR products, making energy-efficient products more attainable for customers.