EPA Honors Seven Florida Organizations with 2016 Energy Star Partners of the Year for Outstanding Achievements in Energy Efficiency/In 2014 alone, all Energy Star partners prevented 283 million metric tons of GHG emissions, providing $31.5 billion in economic benefits

ATLANTA – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 149 businesses and organizations in 35 states for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.

Recipients of the 2016 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence in Florida include:

Intertape Polymer Group, Inc. (Sarasota, FL)
Parmenter (Miami, FL)
SkyeTec (Jacksonville, FL)
TopBuild Home Services (Daytona Beach, FL)
Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc. (New Port Richey, FL)
Jacksonville Building Science (Jacksonville, FL)
Providence Homes (Jacksonville, FL)

Since its inception in 1992, Energy Star and its partners, including the 149 Partners of the Year awardees, have helped prevent a total of more than 2.4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2014 alone, Energy Star and its partners provided more than $11 billion in societal benefits due to reducing damages from climate change.

The awards will be presented in Washington, DC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on April 13th. Sally Bingham, Interfaith Power & Light president will give the keynote presentation.

How Energy Star Partners of the Year in the Florida are Taking Action:
· Intertape Polymer Group, Inc. (IPG) is a manufacturer of tapes, films, woven fabrics, and complementary packaging systems for industrial and consumer use. The company operates 11 production plants and employs approximately 1,950 people. IPG is receiving ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for continued efforts to strengthen its energy program throughout the corporation and for its active partnership with ENERGY STAR
· Parmenter is a fully integrated real estate investment, management, and development firm that manages more than $1 billion dollars in assets throughout the United States. Parmenter is one of the country’s oldest and most respected real estate organizations, active nationally in the ownership and operation of high-quality office properties. Parmenter is receiving ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its commitment to continuous improvement of energy efficiency by renovating underperforming properties and repositioning those properties for acquisition.
· SkyeTec is an energy rating and indoor environmental consulting company that provides third-party inspections for residential and commercial construction projects throughout the United States. In 2008, SkyeTec saw the opportunity to provide energy rating services to home builders to meet the growing demand for ENERGY STAR® certified homes. Today, SkyeTec takes a consultative approach to energy services, offering builders custom, cost-effective options for achieving their efficiency goals, ongoing education and training, rebate program coordination, technical support, and marketing and sales support. SkyeTec is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its support of the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program.

· TopBuild Home Services, formerly Masco Home Services, is one of the largest home energy rating companies in the United States. Through its Environments For Living® and ENERGY STAR® programs, TopBuild Home Services is committed to helping builders construct high performance homes that are energy efficient, durable, and safe. TopBuild Home Services is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its contribution to rating ENERGY STAR certified homes.

· Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc., is a leader in designing, manufacturing and supplying food and beverage equipment globally. The company has a portfolio of brands that includes Cleveland®, Convotherm®, Delfield®, Frymaster®, Garland®, Koolaire®, and Manitowoc® Ice. Manitowoc Foodservice is receiving ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its support of the ENERGY STAR specification development process, leadership in marketing ENERGY STAR certified products, and stand-out efforts to educate employees and end users on the benefits of ENERGY STAR certified products.

· Jacksonville Building Science is a privately owned company with expertise and certifications in the fields of energy rating and building science. Started in 2009, the company has evolved from doing performance testing and balancing on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems measuring airflow, to designing and testing HVAC systems for new home builders, as well as verifying new homes for ENERGY STAR® certification. Jacksonville Building Science is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for its support of ENERGY STAR certified homes.

· Providence Homes, in 2009, made the decision to build only ENERGY STAR® certified homes and is fully engaged in educating homeowners and realtors about its features and benefits. Providence Homes is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for its commitment to building and promoting energy-efficient homes.

Read more about each award winner’s achievements: www.energystar.gov/awardwinners.

Organizations are recognized in the following categories:

Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence: The 93 Sustained Excellence winners continue to demonstrate remarkable leadership each year in the Energy Star program while remaining committed to environmental protection through superior energy efficiency.

Partner of the Year: Forty-seven organizations have been awarded the Partner of the Year award for strategically and comprehensively managing their energy use. These organizations promote Energy Star products and practices in their own operations, while providing energy-efficient products and services to their customers.
Contractor of the Year: Six of the winners are winning at least in part for their superior efforts in promoting the Home Performance with Energy Star program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy with support from EPA.

Climate Communicator: The six Climate Communicator winners, all of whom are also Sustained Excellence awardees, have raised their customers’ awareness of the impacts of climate change. Through their efforts, these partners illustrate how energy-efficient behaviors have a positive impact on the environment while encouraging customers to save energy and protect the climate.

Excellence: Three winners are receiving recognition for demonstrating outstanding promotion of energy-efficient products, homes, or buildings.

Energy Star has 16,000 partners working to protect the environment through greater energy efficiency, including manufacturers, retailers, public schools, hospitals, real estate companies and home builders.

Energy Star is the simple choice for energy efficiency. For more than 20 years, people across America have looked to EPA’s Energy Star program for guidance on how to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change. Today, Energy Star is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $362 billion on utility bills, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more 2.4 billion metric tons since 1992. Join the millions who are already making a difference at energystar.gov.

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast

Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, EPA, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn (at) epa (dot) gov