BENTON HARBOR, Mich., March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR), the world's leading home appliance manufacturer, has been honored in the U.S. and Canada with 22 ENERGY STAR® Awards since the beginning of the program in 1998, more than any other appliance manufacturer.  Of the 22 awards, Whirlpool Corporation (U.S.) has won seven consecutive Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Awards from 2006 through 2012.  ENERGY STAR'S Partner of the Year award for Sustained Excellence is their top award recognizing the company's leadership in providing consumers with energy- and water-efficient products through its leading home appliance brands. 

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"We believe in, and support, the ENERGY STAR® program because of the value it offers consumers," said Nick Gillespie, manager, Government Relations, Whirlpool Corporation. "We have a long-term commitment to delivering resource efficient solutions that improve the everyday lives of our consumers, and we will continue our leadership in upholding the integrity of the ENERGY STAR® program."

Whirlpool Corporation's key sustainability accolades include:   

• Eighty percent of the products sold in the U.S. are made in the U.S., including more ENERGY STAR® appliances than any other manufacturer.
• The total production of ENERGY STAR® qualified washers, refrigerators and dishwashers made by Whirlpool Corporation in 2011 will save consumers more than $750 million in operating costs each year when compared to the old products they replaced. This equates to $11 billion over the life of these products.
• The company donates a Whirlpool brand range and an ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in the United States and Canada, totaling more than 150,000 appliances to date. 
• The 2012 KitchenAid and Maytag branded ENERGY STAR® qualified side-by-side refrigerators annually use less energy than a 60 watt light bulb. This is more than a 60 percent improvement in energy efficiency since the ENERGY STAR® program was introduced more than 20 years ago.
• Whirlpool Corporation continues to pride itself on an "across-the-board" strategy to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions, and is on track to exceed its GHG target.  
• As part of its $1 billion commitment to its U.S. footprint, Whirlpool Corporation received Platinum LEED certification for its new Riverview office campus and anticipates earning Gold certification for its new state-of-the-art, 1,000,000 sq. ft cooking factory in Tennessee.
• Whirlpool is the first refrigerator manufacturer committed to incorporating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) approved Honeywell Solstice™ Liquid Blowing Agent into its U.S.-made refrigeration products beginning in 2013, providing customers with refrigerators that offer the best efficiency and lowest environmental footprint.   

Whirlpool Corporation's ongoing commitment to the growth, success and integrity of the ENERGY STAR® partnership has been a strong source of pride.  As the company continues to lead during its next century of "everyhome ... everywhere," there is no end to what their partnership with ENERGY STAR® can accomplish for the consumer and the planet.

About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $18 billion in 2012, 68,000 employees, and 65 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.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation