Soft-Lite Windows Named 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award Winner by EPA

STREETSBORO, Ohio, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Soft-Lite Windows has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a winner of the prestigious 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. This is the sixth consecutive year that Soft-Lite has received the Partner of the Year Award and the fourth consecutive year that the company has achieved this elite Sustained Excellence level. Soft-Lite will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019, for its continued leadership in manufacturing products that earn the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency.

Soft-Lite's innovative ENERGY STAR achievements this past year included the creation of a new web site (energystar.soft-lite.com) dedicated to educating consumers about ENERGY STAR certified windows and doors. The site focuses exclusively on the ENERGY STAR Windows & Doors Program, and is designed to be an informative, educational center for consumers. It encompasses an overview of the ENERGY STAR program, explains the benefits that certified products offer to consumers, and breaks down the specific features and ratings of ENERGY STAR certified windows.

In 2018, Soft-Lite enhanced both the content of this ENERGY STAR web site, and its YouTube social media efforts, by adding a new selection of short videos that utilize a Q&A format, in which Soft-Lite employees answer questions about ENERGY STAR certified windows – such as "How do I know if my windows are ENERGY STAR certified?", "What is Low-E glass?", and "What is the difference between U-values and R-values?".

Soft-Lite also achieved a 5.8% increase over 2017 in the number of ENERGY STAR certified products available – illustrating the company's efforts to constantly increase its certified product offering, and sustain its core focus on the program. Part of the increase can be attributed to the addition of 16 Barcelona Specialty-Shaped Impact & Non-Impact Windows in 2018, including circles, half-circles, eyebrows, pentagons and more. Each of the 16 specialty-shaped windows are offered with one Barcelona impact-rated ENERGY STAR certified glass option, and with nine non-impact ENERGY STAR certified glad choices.

Another key achievement over the past year was remaining very active in the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Program. Windows from Soft-Lite's Barrington, Bainbridge LE, Pro, Classic, Imperial LS, and Elements product lines met the stringent criteria and were names Most Efficient Products.

Soft-Lite also continued to offer a structured ENERGY STAR training program to educate its dealers and distributors. The program encompasses an overview of the ENERGY STAR program, the anatomy of an energy-efficient window, instructions for how dealers can best promote the program, and more.

"We're proud—and honored—to achieve national recognition from the EPA for the sixth year in a row, and to have reached the most prestigious level of Sustained Excellence for the fourth year" said Tyson Schwartz, Soft-Lite Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "ENERGY STAR is a vital part of Soft-Lite's business—it's become the foundation of our commitment to energy efficiency. It's exciting to see the impact our innovative new ENERGY STAR certified windows and doors make when they hit the market – and the impact they have on consumers. This positive response pushes us to continue to strive to develop new products and options to enhance thermal efficiency. We also emphasize education to ensure that consumers have a clear understanding of the ENERGY STAR program and the benefits that energy-efficient products provide before they make a purchasing decision for their homes. We remain committed to continuing our work to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment – and we will strive to develop new initiatives that will help us meet that goal. "

"I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum. "Their innovation and leadership enhance America's economic competitiveness. Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment."

The highest honor among ENERGY STAR Awards is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award. EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition. Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations – representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

Soft-Lite is a vinyl replacement window and door manufacturer headquartered in Soft-Lite is a vinyl replacement window and door manufacturer headquartered in Streetsboro, Ohio. The company is a multiple Crystal Achievement Award winner and is a recipient of the Friedman Corporation Customer Appreciation Award, the Window & Door Top 100 Manufacturers recognition, and the Door and Window "Companies to Watch" recognition. For more information, visit http://www.soft-lite.com.

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid $30 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.

SOURCE Soft-Lite Windows