The Burnsteads Awarded Northwest ENERGY STAR® Washington Large Builder of the Year

Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes Honors Green Building Industry Leaders

Portland, Ore – April 22 – Northwest ENERGY STAR has named The Burnsteads as the Washington Large Builder of the Year. Awards have been given annually since 2006 to builders and verification companies that support the advancement of Northwest ENERGY STAR new homes throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho andMontana.

“It was a big commitment for us to be a 100% ENERGY STAR builder, but it is important to us as a company to do our part in sustaining the valuable resources that we have. Our customers appreciate the cost savings as well as feeling that they are also utilizing resources wisely. Building ENERGY STAR Homes is the way of the future, and we are excited to be leading the industry in being 100% committed,” said Jolyn Davis, Vice President of Marketing, The Burnsteads. “The Burnsteads demonstrated commitment to building and marketing high-quality, ENERGY STAR qualified homes is quite commendable,” said David Hetherington, Program Manager for Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes. Awards were judged on a range of criteria including the builder’s number of ENERGY STAR homes built during the last three years, their marketing and sales efforts and commitment to quality.

During 2008, The Burnsteads built 71 ENERGY STAR certified homes. These homes helped remove more than 412,723 lbs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually.

This is equivalent to:
• Eliminating the emissions from 35 vehicles
• Saving 210,444 lbs of coal
• Planting 58 acres of trees

In 2008, 2,731 Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes were constructed by over 400 active builders in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana; 1,385 homes were certified in Washington. Homes earning the ENERGY STAR label are at least 15 percent more efficient than homes built to standard state building codes. Homes are performance-tested by a third-party certified technician to confirm that efficient equipment is installed correctly for peak performance. A final endorsement takes place when an independent inspector certifies that all requirements are met to earn the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR qualified homes employ a combination of energy efficient construction practices, such as increased insulation, improved ventilation and high efficiency windows, heating and cooling equipment, lighting and appliances; all resulting in better built, more comfortable homes that save energy and money every month.

About ENERGY STAR and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the ENERGY STAR program is a joint partnership between EPA and Department of Energy, and delivers the technical information and tools that organizations and consumers need to choose energy-efficient solutions. For a complete list of ENERGY STAR qualified products, retailers, manufacturers and energy savings information, call 1-888-373-2283 or log onto: www.energystar.gov.

ENERGY STAR qualified homes in Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington are built by home builders participating in the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program, which is funded by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). NEEA is a non-profit corporation supported by the Bonneville Power Administration, electric utilities, public benefits administrators, state governments, public interest groups and energy efficiency industry representatives. These entities work together to make affordable, energy-efficient products and service available in the marketplace. In 2009, NEEA was awarded the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award in part due to the implementation of the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program. For more information regarding NEAA, visit: www.nwalliance.org. Consumers can learn more about ENERGY STAR qualified homes by visiting www.northwestENERGYSTAR.com or calling 1-888-373-2283.

In Western Washington, the ENERGY STAR Homes program is supported by Puget Sound Energy. Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service territory stretching across 11 counties, PSE serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers primarily in the growing Puget Sound region of Western Washington. PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. To learn more about PSE Puget Sound Energy, visit PSE.com.

About The Burnsteads

A local family of independent home building companies committed to the Northwest for over 50 years, the Burnsteads have been building ENERGY STAR qualified homes since 2006. To learn more about The Burnsteads, visit: www.burnstead.com.