EPA Recognizes Southern Energy Management With 2012 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award

March 1, 2012 - PRLog -- MORRISVILLE, NC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Southern Energy Management (SEM) a 2012 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting our environment through energy efficiency. SEM’s accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2012, which marks the 20th anniversary of ENERGY STAR. This is the second time SEM (http://www.southern-energy.com) has earned the Sustained Excellence award.

Having been named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year six consecutive times, SEM is being acknowledged for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. Earlier this year, SEM reached a significant milestone by qualifying its 10,000th ENERGY STAR home. In 2011 alone, SEM partnered with 150 home builders, helping them construct more than 2,500 ENERGY STAR and green-certified homes; that equates to preventing at least 16-million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from more than 350 million vehicles with help from ENERGY STAR.

“We value the long-term partnership SEM has formed with ENERGY STAR in our common goals to help protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said SEM Director of Residential Business Development Dan McFarland. “Watching the ENERGY STAR program become mainstream over the years has been remarkable, and we’re proud to be a part of that evolution.”

The 2012 Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches, and showing others what can be achieved through energy efficiency. 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. Award winners are selected from about 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program, EPA is proud to recognize Southern Energy Management with the 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Southern Energy Management and all our ENERGY STAR award winners are helping Americans find cost-effective ways to save energy in everything we do, which is good for our climate, our health, and our future.”

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Southern Energy Management is a North Carolina-based sustainable energy company offering energy efficiency, green building and turn-key solar services for homeowners, builders, companies, government and military clients across the country. A certified B Corp, SEM's mission is to have a measurable impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and to build a sustainable triple-bottom-line company. SEM was founded in a living room in Raleigh in 2001, and now employs a team of more than 100 sustainable energy professionals. SEM is consistently recognized as an industry leader both locally and nationally, and is among a small handful of companies in the U.S. to earn the National Energy Star Partner of the Year award six times (in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012). SEM also received the City of Raleigh 2011 Environmental Stewardship Award and the 2010 Green Jobs Award from SJF Institute & Green For All. http://www.southern-energy.com.