Kohl’s receives EPA’s highest Energy Star award

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a recipient of the 2013 Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for the company’s continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency initiatives.



The 2013 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. Award recipients have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. Award winners are selected from the nearly 20,000 organizations that participate in the Energy Star program. Kohl’s also received a Sustained Excellence Award in 2012 and Partner of the Year Awards in 2011 and 2010.



“As a major retailer with stores and corporate facilities nationwide, it is our responsibility to carefully manage our use of resources and strive to reduce our carbon footprint,” said John Worthington, Kohl’s chief administrative officer. “Our partnership with Energy Star has been instrumental in providing tools to assess the performance of our buildings, set strategy and develop action plans.”



Since joining the program in 1998, Kohl’s has been able to Energy Star-certify nearly two-thirds of its stores, which translates to both cost savings and more efficient operations, Worthington added.



Kohl’s uses the Energy Star portfolio manager to track energy performance of all facilities, assess opportunities for enhanced energy performance and implement best practices. To date, the company has more than 750 Energy Star-certified locations and constructs all new Kohl’s stores with the intent to pursue the program’s “Designed to Earn” designation. These stores are eligible to earn Energy Star certification after maintaining superior energy performance for one year in operation. (According to EPA, on average, commercial buildings that earn Energy Star certification use 35% less energy and generate one-third less carbon dioxide than similar buildings.)



In 2012, Kohl’s furthered its commitment to energy efficiency and the use and support of renewable energy through initiatives including:



Re-Commissioning: Kohl’s improved the energy management of 47 stores that were identified through a re-commissioning program that evaluates all controls, lighting and temperature equipment to maximize energy efficiency.



LED Lighting: In more than 70 new and remodeled Kohl’s stores, the company upgraded to LED accent lighting that has a longer lifespan and uses 46% less energy than traditional spot lighting solutions. Additionally, more than 300 stores received LED jewelry showcase lighting.



LED Retrofit: More than 600 Kohl’s stores were retrofitted for a screw-in LED lamp program that uses existing spot-light fixtures with a lamp that has a longer lifespan and lower wattage.



Wattage Reduction: Kohl’s rolled out an ambient wattage reduction package in more than 200 stores that replaced lighting throughout the store with a lower-wattage lamp that saves more than 72,000 kWh of energy per year and provides an enhanced merchandise display.



Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Kohl’s continued to expand its EV charging station initiative. Customers may now charge for free while they shop at 60 locations across 16 states.



Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge: Kohl’s has set a goal through the Better Buildings Challenge to reduce its use of energy in more than 112 million sq. ft. of occupied building space by at least 20% by 2020.



Solar Energy: Kohl’s expanded its solar program by installing panels at 16 new locations and activating its largest array of solar panels at its million-sq.-ft., e-commerce distribution center in Maryland. To date, Kohl’s has more than 130 solar locations in 12 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and is one of the largest single hosts of solar electricity production in North America.



Renewable Energy Credits: Kohl’s purchased more than 1.5 billion kWh of green power, enough to offset more than 100% of the company’s purchased electricity use for the third consecutive year. The company ranks first in retail and second overall on EPA’s quarterly rankings of top green power purchasers.