MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Canada today was awarded the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Manufacturer of the Year award by Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN). The award recognizes the company's leadership in offering consumers energy and water efficiency through its leading home appliance brands. This is Whirlpool Canada's eighth ENERGY STAR award and third consecutive Manufacturer of the Year win. Whirlpool has been honored with 24 ENERGY STAR awards overall in North America, more than any other appliance manufacturer.

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"We believe in and support the ENERGY STAR program because of the value it offers Canadians," said Joe Liotine, vice president and general manager, Whirlpool Canada. "We congratulate ENERGY STAR for 10 years in Canada.   We will continue to do our part in upholding the integrity of the ENERGY STAR program in Canada."

According to a Whirlpool Canada survey conducted in conjunction with Ipsos Reid, energy efficiency has greatest impact after price-value in the shopping process for washing machines. In fact, 96 percent of Canadians said having an ENERGY STAR rating is important to them when they are thinking about washing machines.  

Whirlpool Canada offers some of the most water and energy efficient products on the market, in the kitchen and the laundry room.  In 2010, Whirlpool Canada achieved a new company record in total shipments for eligible ENERGY STAR qualified products.

• ENERGY STAR® qualified washers are one of the leaders in energy and water savings. Whirlpool Canada offers both front- and top-load high-efficiency washers. For example, the Whirlpool® Vantage™ washer uses an impeller with a low water wash system and uses 76 percent less water and 75 percent less energy when compared to pre-2004 conventional washers.  The new premium front-load Whirlpool brand Duet® washer and dryer with exclusive 6th Sense™ technology uses as little as 43.5L of water per load.

• Whirlpool brand offers the industry's most energy efficient side-by-side refrigerator and the Maytag brand offers the industry's most efficient four-door refrigerator.  By exceeding efficiency standards by 30 percent, these refrigerators exceeds ENERGY STAR guidelines, helping consumers reduce their family's carbon footprint.  These models also use less energy than a 60-watt incandescent light bulb and are the most energy efficient side-by-side and four-door refrigerators ever. Maytag and Whirlpool brands also offer the most energy efficient French-door bottom mount refrigerators available among leading brands.

• At 56 percent greater efficiency than the minimum federal energy standards, Superba EQ models from KitchenAid brand are the best dishwashers ever from the brand that pioneered home dishwashers 60 years ago.  

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $18 billion in 2010, 71,000 employees, and 66 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 www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About Whirlpool Corporation's 100th Anniversary

Founded on November 11, 1911, Whirlpool Corporation's time- and labor-saving appliance innovations have influenced home and family life during the last century.  Driven by the belief that everyone needs a comfortable place to call home, Whirlpool Corporation is focused on improving lives one family, one home at a time.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR, celebrating its 10th anniversary in Canada , is administered by Natural Resources Canada under an Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. It is a voluntary market-based collaboration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today ENERGY STAR offers consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.nrcan.gc.ca

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada—all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online in Canada by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Whirlpool Canada in Jan 2010 amongst a national sample of 720 adults aged 25-69 who had purchased washing machine in past 12 months or were intending to buy in the next 12 months. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact media@whirlpool.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation