ENERGY STAR^®

Canada's ENERGY STAR Market Transformation Awards 2006

Call for Nominations - Extended deadline, March 13, 2006

Celebrating ENERGY STAR Achievements.

Canada's ENERGY STAR High Efficiency Program is getting bigger and better each year. By helping Canadians identify and purchase products that are among the most energy-efficient on the market, the program is saving consumers money and reducing emissions that contribute to climate change, urban smog and acid rain.

Canada's ENERGY STAR Market Transformation Awards recognize companies and organizations that have surpassed the competition in offering Canadian consumers the most energy-efficient product, technology or service available on the market.

Now it's time to start planning for the 2006 awards. This is your opportunity to nominate an ENERGY STAR leader for special recognition – you can even nominate your own company or organization! The deadline for nominations is March 13, 2006, with the winners to be announced at the next ENERGY STAR Participants' Recognition Awards Dinner in Toronto on May 4, 2006.

About the program – a tier two awards program

What's in it for the winner

The "Five A's" of Market Transformation

Award categories and additional assessment criteria

Call for nominations

How to submit a nomination Contact

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) administers Canada's Energy Efficiency Awards, which recognize Canadian innovation and achievement in energy efficiency by businesses, institutions, governments, communities and individuals. These national "tier one" awards extend across all sectors of the economy and are intended to be wide-ranging and inclusive, with no particular connection to any federal program or initiative.

At the same time, the OEE has instituted a special series of awards to acknowledge significant energy efficiency actions and achievements at the sectoral level. These "tier two" awards – which include the ENERGY STAR Market Transformation Awards – are specific to OEE programs and celebrate innovative solutions to overcome market barriers, change consumer behaviour, increase product availability and ensure a sustainable market.

Winners of Canada's ENERGY STAR Market Transformation Awards gain the recognition and respect of their peers, competitors, employees, customers and all Canadians. They also receive a plaque commemorating their achievements and are featured in OEE marketing campaigns and publications.

Nominations are assessed based on how the nominees have addressed the "Five A's" of market transformation:

• Availability. Is the product or technology easily available in the market? Its energy benefits/savings adequately documented and demonstrated? Is information on the product or technology (e.g., case studies, testing standards, etc.) easily available?
• Awareness. Is the market aware of the product/technology/information? Have the energy benefits/savings been adequately promoted and demonstrated? Is there information on the product's packaging to raise awareness of its quality and performance? Is the market being made aware of practices governing the product/technology (e.g., standards, guidelines, policies).
• Accessibility. Is the product/technology/information easily accessible to the end-user? What marketing tools and distribution channels are being used to distribute the product/technology/information widely and meet sales objectives?
• Affordability. Is the product/technology affordable to the end-user? Are consumers satisfied with its benefits/savings (can this be documented)? Is the product or technology cost-competitive with similar products on the market?
• Acceptability. Is the product/technology popular among consumers (can this be documented through surveys and other research)? Did the organization do anything special to achieve consumer acceptance or buy-in?

Awards are available in three broad categories: ENERGY STAR Manufacturer of the Year, ENERGY STAR Retailer of the Year (national and regional), and ENERGY STAR advocates. The Advocates category includes: utilities (large and local distribution companies), general participant (includes governments, non-government organizations) and recruits. Each category has additional assessment criteria, over and above the Five A's, that are used to select the winner.

ENERGY STAR Manufacturer of the Year

Over and above the 5A's, assessment criteria for this category include:

• their cooperation with the OEE's data gathering exercises;
• their overall attitude toward energy efficiency;
• whether the company was an early adopter of ENERGY STAR and shows a willingness to exceed minimum requirements; and
• their level of risk-taking.

2005 Winner: Whirlpool Canada Inc.
List of earlier Manufacturer of the Year winners

ENERGY STAR Retailer of the Year (National and Regional)

Over and above the 5A's, assessment criteria for this category include:

• the number of energy-efficient products a retailer sells;
• activities they have undertaken to promote these products
• whether they became involved in the ENERGY STAR program early; and
• whether they have taken risks to market products that meet the ENERGY STAR requirements.

2005 Winner: Centennial Windows Ltd.
List of earlier Retail of the Year winners.

ENERGY STAR Advocates

Over and above the 5A's, assessment criteria for this category include:

• the nominee's commitment to undertake projects that improve consumer uptake of energy-efficient products;
• its efforts to break down market barriers by providing information;
• its early involvement in the program;
• its willingness to provide financial incentives or to spend money raising awareness of ENERGY STAR qualified equipment;
• its commitment to purchase products based on ENERGY STAR specifications.
• an additional assessment on continued leadership in transforming the market towards energy efficiency; and
• its proactive use of the ENERGY STAR symbol to get the job done.

2005 Winners:

ENERGY STAR Utility of the Year – British Columbia Hydro Power Authority (BC Hydro)
ENERGY STAR Promotional Campaign of the Year – SaskEnergy and Manitoba Hydro
ENERGY STAR Collaborative Initiative of the Year – Hydro-Québec
ENERGY STAR Participant of the Year – Sears Canada Inc.
ENERGY STAR Advocate of the Year – Home Depot Canada
ENERGY STAR Recruit of the Year – Corbeil Appliances

List of earlier Advocates Winners

We are inviting nominations from ENERGY STAR participants. ENERGY STAR participants can nominate themselves.

To be eligible for an award:

• the company or organization must be a registered and active participant in the ENERGY STAR program in Canada.
• the product's or technology's energy performance must have been verified based on the requirements of the technical specifications.
• the product's or technology's energy performance must have been verified.
• the company or organization must be complying with the ENERGY STAR labelling guidelines.
• the product, technology or installation must meet applicable standards, codes and industry guidelines.

Send in a written nomination, which identifies:

• the appropriate award category;
• a description of how the nominee meets one or more of the Five A's of market transformation described above; and
• how the nominee meets the specific assessment criteria for the relevant category.

You may submit your nomination electronically.

VERY IMPORTANT:

Along with the submission, you need to mail all supporting material or documents (e.g., promotional materials, advertisements, photographs, testimonials, market research reports).

Supporting materials to be sent by mail to:

All submissions will be reviewed to ensure that they are complete and that the nominee qualifies for an award.

For clarification or further information please contact

Julie Doucet
By e-mail
By phone (613) 947-2319

Don't delay – Extended deadline, March 13, 2006.