ENERGY STAR® Manufacturer of the Year:
Gienow Windows & Doors

Gienow has made a long-term commitment to ENERGY STAR® and embraced the ENERGY STAR philosophy in their manufacturing process. Gienow has a long history of manufacturing, promoting and selling energy-efficient windows and doors. Taking their commitment to the next level, Gienow made significant capital expenditures in equipment that would help meet the standards for ENERGY STAR-qualified windows. In support of an advanced manufacturing facility, Gienow introduced a software program designed to "up sell" to energy-efficient products when providing quotes and ordering information. Upselling to ENERGY STAR ensures that customers are presented with the most energy-efficient fenestration option. Gienow sales employees have indicated that this feature has proven to be highly successful in upgrading the customer to ENERGY STAR-qualified products. In addition to promoting its own products, Gienow launched a dynamic sales contest and increased sales of ENERGY STAR-qualified windows by 30 percent over 2006 levels. To help reach the goal of increased sales, Gienow partnered with B.C. Hydro in an ENERGY STAR window promotion.

ENERGY STAR® Retailer of the Year:
Home Depot Canada

Home Depot Canada was one of the first retailers involved in the ENERGY STAR® program. This retail chain now offers over 500 ENERGY STAR-qualified products and continues to demonstrate innovation in its marketing and merchandising of eco-friendly products. In 2004, Home Depot adopted a sustainable merchandising strategy by providing environmentally friendly options under its Eco Options brand, which includes all ENERGY STAR-qualified products. In 2006, Home Depot ran three extremely successful, high-profile energy-efficiency campaigns featuring numerous ENERGY STAR-qualified products. In addition to marketing, Home Depot works closely with its vendors to ensure the continued availability of qualified products so that consumers can always purchase energy-efficient products. Home Depot is helping to change the mindset of consumers by making energy efficiency the way of the future.

ENERGY STAR® Utility of the Year – Provincial:
Hydro-Québec

Hydro-Québec has been a registered and active participant in the ENERGY STAR® program in Canada since 2004. Through information campaigns and financial support, the provincial electrical utility has made a significant contribution to raising public awareness, developing product recognition and increasing customer buy-in to ENERGY STAR-qualified products. However, it neither manufactures nor distributes ENERGY STAR-qualified products.

ENERGY STAR's association with Hydro-Québec's Energy Wise program is a winning formula for ensuring that energy efficiency continues to improve across the province. Hydro-Québec is an energy-efficiency leader in Quebec: the public utility's high profile and efforts to encourage consumers to use energy more wisely and to select ENERGY STAR-qualified products are major factors in the success of energy-efficiency programs in the province. In late 2006, 71 percent of Quebec residents indicated that they had changed their energy-consumption habits or adopted new ones in the previous two years to save energy at home.

Hydro-Québec has won two other ENERGY STAR awards – Promotional Campaign of the Year (2007) and Collaborative Initiative of the Year (2005).

ENERGY STAR® Utility of the Year – Regional:
London Hydro Incorporated

The 2006 Chill Out London campaign clearly resonated with London Hydro's customers. Chill Out London allowed customers to retire their old, inefficient household appliances for responsible disposal. Some 14,200 old refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners were received at a disposal site at no cost to the consumer. Given London Hydro's residential customer base of 127,000 accounts, this result means 11.2 percent of the utility's customers participated. Participants also received an Energy Conservation Kit (promoting ENERGY STAR-qualified products) that allowed them to take further energy actions.

The Chill Out London program was London Hydro's first significant effort to promote ENERGY STAR, and the program is considered a foot-in-the-door strategy for a number of other energy conservation initiatives, such as the Exchange Program from traditional incandescent bulbs to more energy efficient compact fluorescents.

ENERGY STAR® Promotional Campaign of the Year:
Conserve Nova Scotia

The Oil Heat Appliance Rebate Program was one of many programs that Conserve Nova Scotia ran in 2006 to improve consumer use of energy-efficient products. The program's "Retire Your Furnace" campaign used advertising and rebates to promote the replacement of existing oil-fired furnaces and boilers (which make up 60 percent of the residential heating market) with ENERGY STAR-qualified equipment.

In October 2006, Conserve Nova Scotia launched the campaign in partnership with the Canadian Oil Heat Association. An extensive advertising campaign used newspapers, radio and television. Information about the program was also available on various Web sites, including one created for the campaign.

The Retire Your Furnace campaign helped average Nova Scotians, as well as home-heating retailers and installers, become more aware of the ENERGY STAR symbol, program and benefits.

ENERGY STAR® Promotional Campaign of the Year:
Hydro-Québec

Since 2003, Hydro-Quebec's Energy Wise program has been helping to ensure that every small step taken to improve energy efficiency contributes to the common good. Again this year, Energy Wise incorporated ENERGY STAR incentives into its promotional materials, including television, radio and magazine advertisements, joint poster advertising with partners, coupons, and in-store promotions.

Hydro-Québec uses a host of interesting and innovative means to communicate with its customers. This year, its promotional campaign targeted ENERGY STAR-qualified household appliances and lighting. The promotional efforts paid off, with Hydro-Québec exceeding market penetration targets. A larger number of ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances were sold than originally forecast, leading to an increased awareness by Quebec consumers, and a heightened recognition of energy-saving light bulbs.

Hydro-Québec has provided a great deal of information and financial support to raise public awareness, develop product recognition and increase customer buy-in to ENERGY STAR-qualified products across the province. Its continued efforts in this regard make it a worthy recipient in the ENERGY STAR Award for Promotional Campaign of the Year.

ENERGY STAR® Participant of the Year:
Clean Air Partnership

The Clean Air Partnership (CAP) has promoted the ENERGY STAR® program since 2002. CAP is a registered charity that works in partnership to promote and coordinate actions to improve local air quality and reduce greenhouse gases for healthy communities. CAP's efforts have reached a diverse target audience that includes individuals, students, homeowners, the business community and representatives from all four levels of governments.

In 2006, CAP published is fifth annual magazine, entitled The Clean Air and Environment Guide, which extensively promotes ENERGY STAR. This publication was distributed throughout the Greater Toronto Area, through the Globe and Mail. CAP has also worked very closely with Natural Resources Canada to develop the ENERGY STAR Procurement Toolkit for Municipalities – a very effective tool for municipal procurement officials to understand the benefits of purchasing energy efficient products. These promotional efforts provide useful, up-to-date information on the environmental and financial benefits of purchasing ENERGY STAR-qualified products. CAP provides ongoing support and incentives to promote awareness and acceptance of energy-efficient products.

ENERGY STAR® Advocate of the Year – Specific Product:
Novatech Glass Inc.

In 2006, Novatech had all its entry-door components certified to help the company's customers – door and window manufacturers – qualify their products for ENERGY STAR. Obtaining this certification requires a considerable investment of time and resources, and has been an obstacle to many manufacturers wishing to participate in the ENERGY STAR program for window products.

As an innovator in entry-door systems, Novatech also offers its customers support in the form of exhaustive documentation and an easy-to-reach technical team. It also provides customers with a complete, detailed listing of approximately 600 certified product combinations to help them manage labelling manually or electronically.

ENERGY STAR® Advocate of the Year – Multiple Products:
City of Greater Sudbury

The City of Greater Sudbury's "Efficient Sudbury" (ES) campaign has increased awareness about the importance of energy conservation and energy efficiency and the benefits of using ENERGY STAR-qualified products.

The ES campaign has developed an innovative retailer and consumer education and market transformation program. The multi-faceted campaign uses a variety of strategies to reach consumers. The campaign involves about 50 local retailers from all retail sectors, Earth Care Sudbury (a network of 93 community partners), utility partners and a loan program offering two energy-monitoring devices. The ES campaign is a model for other communities to follow in mobilizing the retail sector and consumers in supporting energy efficiency.

ENERGY STAR® Recruit of the Year:
Globe Electric Company Inc.

For 75 years, Globe Electric has been an innovative leader in the residential and electrical industry. The company has been an ENERGY STAR partner in the United States since 2001 and joined the Canadian ENERGY STAR Initiative in 2006. The company offers over 40 ENERGY STAR-qualified products.

Globe Electric is dedicated to the development, education and promotion of energy-saving products and technology. For example, the company is in the process of developing future private label brands for Canada's retailers. The company has been developing ENERGY STAR-qualified products for many years and is committed to exceeding the minimum requirements.

Globe Electric has partnered with B.C. Hydro on every compact fluorescent lighting campaign since 2002. More recently, Globe combined its commitment to a worthy cause with some creative marketing by entering an "ENERGY STAR CFL sleigh" in the snow box derby held as part of the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation Ski-O-Thon. This event raised more than $115,000 for the children's charity.

Globe regularly provides retailers such as Walmart and Rona with in-store signage to promote the benefits of ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting products and has produced information about how to select compact florescent lights (CFLs) and how to properly dispose of used CFLs at the end of their life cycle.

The company is also involved in Project Porchlight, the grassroots program that brings together business, community groups and volunteers with the mandate to deliver one free ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb to every household in Canada.

Globe Electric has made a commitment to no longer promote non-recyclable packaging and is moving forward with efforts to use more environment-friendly packaging for all product lines. In recent years, Globe Electric has been recognized for its innovative products, merchandising solutions and constant growth.

ENERGY STAR® Collaborative Initiative of the Year:
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (B.C. Hydro) and British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources

B.C. Hydro – through its Power Smart program and in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR) and numerous key players, including the BC Window and Door Manufacturer Association, the Canadian Windows and Doors Manufacturers Association, Natural Resources Canada, as well as numerous B.C. and national manufacturers and distributors of window products – has transformed the windows market in British Columbia.

Since 2005, B.C. Hydro has provided incentives for almost 1.5 million square feet of ENERGY STAR-qualified windows under its Power Smart program. The level of market penetration paved the way for the B.C. Government to introduce new legislation under its new Energy Efficiency Act, to require that that all windows sold in B.C. as of 2009 must meet the ENERGY STAR zone "A" overall heat-loss coefficient.

ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence:
Whirlpool Canada

Whirlpool has consistently demonstrated its commitment to ENERGY STAR by offering consumers across North America the most energy-efficient appliances and room air conditioners. Whirlpool Canada has been a proud and passionate supporter of the ENERGY STAR program since it was first introduced in Canada in 2001 and led the way to ensuring the availability of qualified products in major retail stores across Canada. In 2006, this commitment was demonstrated by Whirlpool Canada's increased investments in the ENERGY STAR program by developing a major energy efficiency promotional campaign aimed at consumers, employees and trade customers. Whirlpool focuses on raising awareness of ENERGY STAR across a full range of marketing, sales and distribution activities. Whirlpool is constantly striving to expand its line of ENERGY STAR-qualified products to ensure that Canadian consumers have a wide range of energy-efficient appliances for their homes.