The sponsors of Energize Connecticut , Eversource and AVANGRID, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, today (April 4) announced that they have received the 2023 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This is the eighth time the sponsors have been recognized for their joint efforts, continued leadership and commitment to promoting the ENERGY STAR program in Connecticut.
The Sustained Excellence award is the highest honor presented by the ENERGY STAR program. Winners were selected for their long-term commitment to fighting climate change, protecting public health through energy efficiency and increasing the adoption and implementation of energy efficiency measures. They are among the nation's leaders in driving value for the environment, the economy and the American people.
"Access to energy efficiency programs is more critical than ever. Thanks to Connecticut's leadership in recognizing the benefits of these initiatives, we have been able to help more customers save energy during these unprecedented times," said Eversource Executive Vice President of Customer Experience and Energy Strategy Penni Conner. "It's an honor to once again be selected by the EPA and DOE for this award and be among energy leaders who are dedicated to mitigating the effects of climate change. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the ENERGY STAR® program, the states and communities we serve, and our small business partners and our customers."
"Receiving the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for the eighth consecutive year reflects the longstanding and steadfast commitment UI, SCG, and CNG continue to demonstrate as we work to address climate change and help our customers access the benefits of energy efficiency," said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI, SCG and CNG. "We're honored to receive this recognition from the U.S. EPA and Department of Energy and look forward to continuing to work with our industry partners through Energize CT to help our customers save energy, manage their energy bills, and protect our environment."
"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."
Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. This year's award highlighted the following accomplishments:
- Customers redeemed more than 1,500 rebates for heat pump water heaters - an 180% increase in comparison to 2021.
- Expanded opportunities for lower-income customers to receive instant discounts on ENERGY STAR certified LED lighting by 34%.
- Savings on ENERGY STAR rated foodservice equipment increased 71% compared to 2021.
Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2023 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR's awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.
About Energize Connecticut
Energize Connecticut is an initiative dedicated to empowering Connecticut to make smart energy choices, now and in the future. We provide Connecticut consumers, businesses, and communities the resources and information they need to make it easy to save energy and build a clean energy future for everyone in the state. It is an initiative of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities. The initiative has funding support from a charge on customer energy bills.
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 including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500® 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 and state-level information can be found at www.energystar.gov/statefacts.
