Whirlpool Earns Award for Protecting the Environment Through Energy Efficiency

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Whirlpool Corporation today announced that it will receive the inaugural ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence 2006 Award from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This special award is given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding environmental leadership year after year, while sustaining product and marketing excellence. This unique honor represents the company's seventh ENERGY STAR Award win.

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Whirlpool Corporation will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2006.

Whirlpool Corporation, an ENERGY STAR partner since 1998, will be honored for its leadership in designing, manufacturing and marketing resource efficient home appliances that earn the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency. Among the reasons cited in recognizing Whirlpool was the company's commitment to offering a compelling depth and breadth of ENERGY STAR qualified products, as well as the company's training programs, marketing campaigns and innovative national consumer education activities.

Across the U.S., top companies and organizations are discovering the value of promoting resource efficiency through participation in the ENERGY STAR program. Last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved $12 billion on their utility bills and enough peak energy to power 28 million homes. Through those savings, they avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 23 million vehicles.

"Whirlpool Corporation is honored to receive the inaugural Sustained Excellence 2006 Award," said Dave Swift, president, Whirlpool North America. "We share with our consumers a responsibility for environmental stewardship, and this award is the culmination of more than two decades of investing in the development of innovative appliances and technologies that help conserve the earth's resources and allow homeowners to use energy more efficiently."

"Partners like Whirlpool are national leaders in energy efficiency," said David Rodgers, Program Manager of DOE's Building Technologies Program. "The ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award winners are leaders in adopting energy efficient technologies into their products and practices. They have shown year after year that energy efficiency is good for business and helps consumers save important energy resources while protecting the environment."

Organizations receiving the Sustained Excellence 2006 Award have set and achieved aggressive goals, employed innovative approaches, and shown others what can be achieved through resource efficiency. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program including energy-efficient products, services, and new homes in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Whirlpool Corporation was selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of over $14 billion, 68,000 employees, and nearly 50 manufacturing and technology research centers around the globe. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Brastemp, Bauknecht, Consul and other major brand names to consumers in more than 170 countries. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com.

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, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the program offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 8,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit http:// www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782- 7937).

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation