Form 5900-34 Partner of the Year Awards

EPA Form No. 5900-34

OMB Control No. 2060-0528

2015 ENERGY STAR^® POY Award Application for Product Brand Owner

2015 ENERGY STAR^®Award Application

Partner of the Year - Product Brand Owner

Eligibility: Brand Owner of ENERGY STAR certified products. Service providers (e.g., cable, satellite, and telecommunications providers) that label and distribute ENERGY STAR certified products should apply for recognition using this application.

Please note that the prerequisite for any product brand owner award is compliance with the requirements outlined in the applicable ENERGY STAR Partner Commitments, Product Specification, and Brand Book requirements. Applications will be screened for such compliance, including proper logo and label use. Additionally, please read the separate General Instructions for all applicants.

Description: These awards recognize those product brand owners who have furthered the goals of ENERGY STAR through their active participation. ENERGY STAR anticipates receiving competitive applications.

ENERGY STAR recognizes that each organization excels in specific areas. Partners may describe specific activities beyond the scope of the criteria listed below, but should not omit any data or information required by the application.

Criteria: Criteria for evaluating applications for this award are listed below. Cumulative accomplishment statements may be included in the Accomplishments Narrative, but data specific to 2014 activities must also be provided. When highlighting cumulative accomplishments, please ensure that you include a timeframe (e.g., saved $300,000 in electricity costs in 2014 and more than $3 million since 2001).

Executive Summary

Please provide a brief overview (300 words or less) of your organization. Include all of the following information:

• Company revenue

• Location of company headquarters

• Brief summary of company (2-3 sentences)

• Description of company’s sustainability/environmental mission, values, efforts (2-3 sentences)

• Summary of top three 2014 ENERGY STAR accomplishments

In the event that you are chosen to receive an award, this text will be used to prepare a summary of your organization's achievements, which will be included on our website, in the ceremony script and PowerPoint. The Executive Summary does not count toward the five-page limit for the Accomplishments Narrative. The Executive Summary will be entered directly into the form provided on your My ENERGY STAR Account; do not include the Executive Summary in the Accomplishments Narrative file.

Accomplishments Narrative

ENERGY STAR is committed to helping people change for the better. Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by helping consumers identify and select products with superior energy efficiency. How are you helping to achieve that goal? Please write a narrative describing your company’s activities and accomplishments specific to supporting ENERGY STAR’s objective. Your narrative should:

• Be no more than five pages, but may be accompanied by electronic samples of specific promotions, advertisements, or other activities your organization led in 2013.

• Use at least size 11 font.

• Provide a detailed description of your 2014 activities and accomplishments, demonstrating how you have met the required criteria.

• Be consistent with the outline below, to the extent the activities are relevant to your organization.

• Include all provided tables and their requested data points.

• Provide year-to-date figures for all requested data points. Figures requested for previous year should cover the same time period.

• Provide timeframes for any supplemental data on cumulative outcomes.

NOTE: To receive credit for efforts, applicants must supply all requested data points and descriptions in the Accomplishments Narrative.

Furthering Energy Efficiency in Products

Number of ENERGY STAR certified models (for windows, number of option packages also acceptable)* available in 2014
Number of ENERGY STAR certified models(for windows number of option packages also acceptable) available in 2014
Percentage change over previous year	[Formula]
Percentage of eligible 2014 models that are ENERGY STAR certified
For window, door, or skylight manufacturers:
Percentage of models ENERGY STAR qualified in standard version
Percentage of models that can be upgraded to ENERGY STAR
Percentage of total sales (dollars) from ENERGY STAR certified models in 2014
Percentage of total sales (dollars) from ENERGY STAR certified models in 2013
Percentage change over previous year**	[Formula]

*Please provide a definition of “model” and/or “option packages”

**If you are unable to provide specific sales information, please indicate general year-over-year improvements, if applicable

• Information concerning new ENERGY STAR models/option packages developed/certified in 2014, including a brief description of innovation in product design for energy efficiency. Provide specific examples, design drawings or diagrams, and savings delivered, where possible.

• Description of engagement and leadership in regards to the ENERGY STAR program, including participation in ENERGY STAR product specification development effort(s) and conduct/sharing of research and/or data that support specification development.

• Examples that minimum ENERGY STAR labeling requirements were met on products, packaging, online, etc.

• Activities that go above and beyond minimum labeling requirements (e.g., unique or highly prominent use of the logo on product or packaging in terms of size, location, etc. while still meeting the ENERGY STAR Brand Book requirements: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=logos.pt_guidelines, featuring ENERGY STAR certification mark on/alongside product images).

• Brand Owner/Manufacturers of windows, doors, and skylights must provide the following data points:

Number of qualified models carrying product qualification label
Percentage of qualified models carrying product qualification label
Percentage change over previous year
Number of qualified displays carrying display unit label
Percentage of qualified displays carrying display unit label
Percentage change over previous year

Training Efforts

Number of existing employees reached through internal training
Percentage of existing employees reached
Number of new employees reached through internal training
Percentage of new employees reached
Number of distributor or retailer locations trained
Percentage of distributor or retailer locations trained
Number of distributor or retailer employees trained (total)
Average percentage of distributor or retailer employees trained at each location

• Integration of ENERGY STAR into your organization’s sales force and employee training. Provide scope, description of efforts, measures of impact, and examples (e.g., training manuals, new employee packets, presentations, etc.).

• Cooperation with distributors, retailers, or utility/state/regional partners to increase ENERGY STAR information in retail/distributor product knowledge training. Provide scope, description of efforts, measures of impact and examples (e.g., collateral, e-mails, screen shots of web-based, video, manuals, newsletters, presentations, ENERGY STAR specification summary sheets, etc.).

• Collaboration with EPA in the development of training activities.

• Note: Please do not include examples of training or promotions that feature ENERGY STAR certified products, but do not specifically mention ENERGY STAR.

Sales and Marketing

ENERGY STAR industry-focused sales and co-promotional efforts	How many?	How often?	Reach/ Impressions
Exhibits and features ENERGY STAR at key industry tradeshows
Presentations for or meetings with distributors and/or retailers
Leadership and/or participation in ENERGY STAR Campaign and related ENERGY STAR promotions
Co-marketing or cooperative promotions

• Describe ENERGY STAR certified product promotion efforts as outlined below. Be sure to include roles of participants, duration of each promotion, details on impact, and provide visual examples:

  • Integration of ENERGY STAR in exhibits at key industry tradeshows

  • Integration of ENERGY STAR in presentations for or meetings with distributors and/or retailers.

  • Leadership and/or participation in promotions in conjunction with the ENERGY STAR Campaign and related ENERGY STAR promotional activities (e.g. Team ENERGY STAR, My ENERGY STAR consumer engagement platform, ENERGY STAR Day)

  • Leadership and/or participation in other cooperative promotions (e.g., in-store, web-based) with utilities, state efficiency program sponsors, retailers, resellers, distributors or suppliers.

ENERGY STAR consumer-focused sales and marketing efforts (non-web)	How many?	How often?	Reach/ Impressions
ENERGY STAR-themed community outreach activities
ENERGY STAR non-web advertising – TOTAL:
Print
Radio
Direct Mail
Television
ENERGY STAR point-of-purchase efforts

• Provide samples of ENERGY STAR-themed community outreach activities, including public relations efforts, special events, and press releases.

• Provide samples of non-web advertising efforts, including print, radio, television, direct mail, etc.

• Provide samples of point-of-purchase (POP) efforts such as brochures, displays, window clings and signage (please submit examples and photographs of POP efforts in place at stores).

• Inclusion of ENERGY STAR/environmental messaging in any of the above activities. Please provide file names and page numbers of examples included in the supporting documentation.

ENERGY STAR consumer-focused sales and marketing efforts (web-based)	How many?	Unique Visitors (Total)	Impact
ENERGY STAR pages on company Web site
ENERGY STAR advertisements on other Web sites
ENERGY STAR related on-line videos
ENERGY STAR related blog posts
		Followers/ Friends	Impact
ENERGY STAR related outreach via social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.)

• Include links to content. Screenshots are not necessary unless the webpage is no longer live.

• Inclusion of ENERGY STAR/environmental messaging in any of the above activities. Please provide file names and page numbers of examples included in the supporting documentation.

Consumer/End User Education

From your company’s Sales and Marketing efforts outlined above, please highlight innovative educational efforts that go above and beyond simple ENERGY STAR logo use and/or messaging. True consumer education efforts are focused on informing and educating the consumer about the ENERGY STAR label, criteria, and the importance of energy efficiency.

• Provide the following statistics for each effort, where relevant:

  • Quantity of materials/efforts

  • Frequency of efforts

  • Reach/Impressions

  • Unique visitors

  • Average view times

• Supply examples showing quality educational content, e.g.:

• Links to YouTube videos, blogs, social media sites (Facebook or Twitter), or other web pages

• Screenshots of pages that are no longer live

• Samples of advertorials, brochures, pamphlets, signage, etc.

Cross-Cutting Efforts That Have Been Incorporated into Company Practices

• Offering recycling of products and/or packaging or developing in-house recycling programs.

• Participation in the development of data tools, such as QPX and Product Finder. Provide product and marketing data using these tools. (Where applicable for your product category).

• Commitment to organization-wide facility energy efficiency improvements.

• Organizational procurement practices of energy efficient and/or ENERGY STAR certified products.

• Outline company efforts to reducing GHG emissions (e.g., recycling programs, solar, Bike to Work initiatives, electric vehicle charging stations, etc.)

• Participation in other EPA programs and campaigns, such as:

  • Low Carbon IT

  • SmartWay

  • Green Power Partnership

  • Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program

  • WaterSense

• Outline company efforts to reducing GHG emissions in the value chain of its products (i.e. manufacturing processes for products)

• Pursued ENERGY STAR certification for building or gave preference to leasing space from ENERGY STAR certified buildings.

• Commitment to protecting integrity of the ENERGY STAR brand through continuous improvement, enhanced quality assurance, reporting logo and labeling violations, or other practices.

• Features ENERGY STAR on company home page.

The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 70 hours per response. Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques to the Director, Collection Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2822T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Include the OMB control number in any correspondence. Do not send the completed form to this address.

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