EPA recognizes AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas with award

Submitted article

GAHANNA, Ohio – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), and Columbia Gas of Ohio, a unit of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), with a prestigious 2015 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award and a Market Leader Award for their continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.

Through their cobranded program EfficiencyCraftedSM, AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio collaborate in their territories to assist homebuilders in incorporating energy upgrades that exceed current code and provide greater energy savings and built-in value.  The program also recognizes builders who attain the highest level of the program — EfficiencyCrafted and ENERGY STAR Certified.

“Through their sustained participation with ENERGY STAR, AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio are helping Americans save money, save energy, and do their part to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I applaud these two utilities for earning EPA’s highest ENERGY STAR award, the 2015 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, demonstrating a strong commitment to energy efficiency and to preserving a healthy planet for future generations.”

The two utilities’ accomplishments were recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2015. This is the fourth consecutive year that AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio have received ENERGY STAR’s Partner of the Year Award, which also earns them the distinction of Sustained Excellence.

Since the EfficiencyCrafted new homes program was introduced in 2010, over 110 builders have been enrolled in the program and more than 7,500 homes have been built. Over half of these have also earned the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes label, which requires builders to incorporate a number of additional building and energy performance features.

“We are honored to receive this award from the EPA for EfficiencyCrafted homes that collectively have saved nearly 2.3 million CCF of natural gas and over 19.9 million kilowatt hours of electricity,” said Dan Creekmur, president of Columbia Gas of Ohio.

AEP Ohio President and Chief Operating Officer Pablo Vegas further explained, “The environmental impact is significant as each year these savings reduce energy costs for homeowners and are equivalent to the carbon sequestered by more than 21,000 acres of U.S. forests.”

The EPA gives the 2015 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards to recognize organizations’ contributions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors. The EPA selects award winners from the 16,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

The EPA also recognized AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio with the 2015 ENERGY STAR Certified Market Leader Award.  Each year, ENERGY STAR New Homes presents Market Leader Awards to outstanding partners who have made important contributions to energy–efficient construction and environmental protection by building or verifying an outstanding number of ENERGY STAR certified homes, or by sponsoring a local program that supports these activities during the previous year. In 2014, participating homebuilders completed 2,487 EfficiencyCrafted homes. While all of the homes were built to perform 15 percent to 30 percent better than Ohio’s energy code, 1,056 of the 2,487 homes were also certified as ENERGY STAR, which means they meet even more stringent requirements.