Whirlpool Corporation , the global leader in home appliances and the leading manufacturer of ENERGY STAR® appliances, applauds the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its recent announcement of new steps it will take to enforce energy efficiency standards, including the formation of an enforcement team and review of compliance by manufacturers to ensure they meet DOE certification requirements.

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"We're pleased that DOE is stepping up enforcement as these actions are important for several reasons," said Katrina Helmkamp, senior vice president, product business teams, Whirlpool Corporation. "They will help to ensure manufacturers of appliances are held accountable to deliver the energy savings they promise. In turn, consumers will be able to confidently use the Energy Guide label to make energy performance comparisons among brands while shopping, and to attain in real world use the energy efficiency promised when they purchased the appliance."

"Whirlpool Corporation continues to build on its leadership legacy of offering consumers products that uniquely deliver the latest innovations that match their needs and desires while saving them money and benefitting the environment," said Helmkamp.

As a long-time supporter of the DOE ENERGY STAR energy-efficiency program, Whirlpool Corporation has played a leading role in setting the ENERGY STAR program standards and has also won a record 21 ENERGY STAR awards since 1998.

About Whirlpool Corporation and ENERGY STAR

Whirlpool Corporation offers the greatest number of energy-efficient appliances in the industry, providing consumers with more ENERGY STAR qualified appliances than any other company through its leading portfolio of consumer brands, including Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air and KitchenAid.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $19 billion in 2008, 70,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: angela_m_hersil@whirlpool.com

SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation