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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) with a 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the nation's environment through superior energy efficiency. Sears Holdings' accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2014.

Sears Holdings, an ENERGY STAR partner since 1998, will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. Sears Holdings demonstrates impressive commitment to providing a wide-array of ENERGY STAR products and services, along with superior energy management across its building portfolio, coupled with enhanced associate and consumer education to drive awareness and adoption of energy efficiency and climate protection. The company's related accomplishments in 2013 included:

• Energy Savings: Sears Holdings makes energy management its focus to drive operational excellence. The company continues to have success year-over-year in reducing its energy consumption. In 2013, Sears Holdings' total weather normalized source energy usage decreased by 1,005,846,559 kbtu, a reduction of 5 percent over last year. Additionally, the company reduced average weather normalized source energy intensity to 127.6 kbtu/sqft, a 3 percent reduction over 2012. This reduction of energy use intensity (EUI) was made possible through the hard work of Sears' field teams. Furthermore, the company reduced electricity usage by more than 200 million kWh, a 6.6 percent savings over the previous year.
• Product Selection:  Sears Holdings has continued to develop business strategies related to ENERGY STAR products in their stores. In 2013, the company introduced new energy-efficient technology for Kenmore laundry and dishwashers, as well as the continuous development of the connected appliance/home energy management portfolio that will be introduced to the market in 2014.
• ²Ñ²¹°ù°ì±ð³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThe company continued to communicate its environmental leadership to its members and customers. Several utility partners created brand pages on the Shop Your Way platform to promote ENERGY STAR and contribute to one of the corporate goals of providing a "wow" membership experience. In addition, we are the first retailer expanding our instant rebates online, allowing automatic location based rebates.
• ±Ê²¹°ù³Ù²Ô±ð°ù²õ³ó¾±±è:ÌýSears' ability to maintain strong relationships with local utilities differentiates the company from other retailers. Through Sears Green Leadership team, it is able to capitalize on these relationships to drive traffic to its stores and generate awareness for the ENERGY STAR brand.

"Sears Holdings is honored to receive the Partner of the Year Award," said Ron Boire, Sears Holdings' executive vice president, chief merchandising officer and president, Sears and Kmart formats. "We are committed to our partnership with ENERGY STAR, and dedicated to increasing energy efficiency through our operational excellence, Kenmore product offerings and partnerships with local utilities. We will continue the tradition of celebrating our associates, members and customers' conservation efforts as we help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment."

Across the U.S., top companies and organizations are leading the way toward a more energy-efficient future through their participation in ENERGY STAR.

Through 2013, with help from ENERGY STAR, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

"Sears Holdings has earned EPA's highest ENERGY STAR award – the 2014 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award – because of their unwavering commitment to helping consumers become increasingly more energy efficient," said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe.

The 2014 Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors. Award winners are selected from the 16,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is a leading integrated retailer with more than 2,400 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada and the home of Shop Your Waysm, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com and mobile apps. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, fitness equipment and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore®, Craftsman® and DieHard®, with a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End®, the Kardashian Kollection®, Jaclyn Smith® and Joe Boxer® and Sofia by Sofia Vergara^TM. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service and installation calls made annually, and have a long-established commitment to those who serve in the military through initiatives like the Heroes at Home® program. We have been named the 2011 Mobile Retailer of the Year, Recipient of the 2013 Energy Star® "Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award" for Product Retailing and Energy Management and one of the Top 20 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. Twitter: @searsholdings | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. 16,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

CONTACT:
Sears Holdings
(847) 286-8371

Kristinn Leonhart
ENERGY STAR Brand Manager
(202) 343-9062
Leonhart.Kristinn@epa.gov

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation