J.C. Penney to increase Energy Star certifications to 400 stores

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. announced Thursday that it will up its participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program to 400 stores by the end of 2013. Energy Star certification is awarded to buildings that rank within the top 25% of similar commercial buildings nationwide by meeting strict energy performance levels set by the EPA.



J.C. Penney has a companywide goal to reduce facility energy use 20% by 2015.



"We've made strong progress toward our 2015 energy reduction target and now we're taking our energy conservation efforts to the next level by doubling our Energy Star commitment from 200 to 400 certified stores by encouraging greater associate involvement and investing in energy efficiency improvements," said Mike Theilmann, group executive VP.



Improvements planned for 2011 include lighting retrofits for 240 stores, installation of 45,000 energy efficient LED accent lamps and expanding its advanced metering technologies to 165 facilities, which provides daily reports of electricity usage to help identify opportunities for substantial savings.



Last year, the company invested more than $12 million in the installation of high-efficiency lighting, advanced metering technologies as well as HVAC systems throughout its stores and supply chain units.