February 21, 2007

Three Industry Leaders Win the
ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Award

Congratulations to Commodore Corporation, Clayton Homes, and Palm Harbor Homes, on winning the 2007 US EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for their achievements in transforming their markets to Energy Star. The Partner of the Year recognition is awarded to outstanding partners who have helped to establish a significant presence for Energy Star qualified new homes in one or more regional markets. These companies have demonstrated a commitment to the construction of Energy Star qualified new homes, contributed to the growth of Energy Star in their markets, and effectively included Energy Star in their marketing and sales efforts. This year, EPA and DOE will present these awards at the annual Energy Star Awards banquet and reception on March 21 in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov.

Energy Star Design Packages Updated 

In response to the new National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) equipment efficiency requirements, MHRA has updated the Energy Star Qualified homes design packages. Minimum efficiency requirements for heat pumps and air conditioners referenced in the Energy Star guide for home manufacturers have been changed to reflect the new NAECA requirements. The change in efficiencies resulted in the elimination of several Energy Star design packages. The updated design packages are included in the guide ENERGY STAR Qualified Manufactured Homes: Design, Manufacturing, Installation and Certification Procedures - Third Edition, which is available for download from the MHRA web site www.mhrahome.org/pages/es_manufact.htm.

Not an ENERGY STAR Partner? Join today! 

If you are not already an ENERGY STAR Partner, you should consider becoming one. Becoming an ENERGY STAR partner is easy. Simply fill out a Partnership Agreement  form (the form can be accessed on the Web at www.energystar.gov/homes by clicking the link for "Partnership Agreements" on the right-hand side of the page). By promoting the energy-saving and environmental benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified homes, partners can differentiate themselves in the marketplace, increase revenue, enhance customer satisfaction, and gain national recognition as industry and environmental leaders. There is no cost to partner with ENERGY STAR and partners have access to a variety of free marketing resources and materials.

Copyright 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of MHRA. For comments or questions related to MHRA ENERGY STAR Update, contact Gwynne Koch via e-mail at gkoch@research-alliance.org. To unsubscribe, reply to this email with Unsubscribe in the subject line.