Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) today announced it will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a recipient of the 2013 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for the company’s continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency initiatives. According to EPA, the 2013 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. Award recipients have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. Award winners are selected from the nearly 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program. Kohl’s also received a Sustained Excellence Award in 2012 and Partner of the Year Awards in 2011 and 2010.

“Kohl’s is honored to be recognized by EPA with a 2013 Sustained Excellence Award,” said John Worthington, Kohl’s chief administrative officer. “As a major retailer with stores and corporate facilities nationwide, it is our responsibility to carefully manage our use of resources and strive to reduce our carbon footprint. Our partnership with ENERGY STAR has been instrumental in providing tools to assess the performance of our buildings, set strategy and develop action plans. Since joining the program in 1998, we have been able to ENERGY STAR certify nearly two-thirds our stores. This accomplishment translates to both cost savings and more efficient operations.”

"EPA is recognizing Kohl’s for earning EPA’s highest ENERGY STAR award – the 2013 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award,” said Bob Perciasepe, EPA’s acting administrator. “Kohl’s leads the field with their commitment to energy efficiency and demonstrates how all Americans can save energy, save money and create a healthier environment.”

Kohl’s uses the ENERGY STAR portfolio manager to track energy performance of all facilities, assess opportunities for enhanced energy performance and implement best practices. To date, the company has more than 750 ENERGY STAR-certified locations and constructs all new Kohl’s stores with the intent to pursue ENERGY STAR’s “Designed to Earn” designation. These stores are eligible to earn ENERGY STAR certification after maintaining superior energy performance for one year in operation. According to EPA, on average, commercial buildings that earn ENERGY STAR certification use 35 percent less energy and generate one-third less carbon dioxide than similar buildings.

In 2012, Kohl’s furthered its commitment to energy efficiency and the use and support of renewable energy through initiatives including:

Energy Efficiency

• Re-Commissioning – Kohl’s improved the energy management of 47 stores that were identified through a re-commissioning program that evaluates all controls, lighting and temperature equipment to maximize energy efficiency.
• Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting – In more than 70 new and remodeled Kohl’s stores, the company upgraded to LED accent lighting that has a longer lifespan and uses 46 percent less energy than traditional spot lighting solutions. Additionally, more than 300 stores received LED jewelry showcase lighting.
• LED Retrofit – More than 600 Kohl’s stores were retrofitted for a screw-in LED lamp program that uses existing spot-light fixtures with a lamp that has a longer lifespan and lower wattage.
• Wattage Reduction – Kohl’s rolled out an ambient wattage reduction package in more than 200 stores that replaced lighting throughout the store with a lower-wattage lamp that saves more than 72,000 kWh of energy per year and provides an enhanced merchandise display.
• Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations – Kohl’s continued to expand its EV charging station initiative. Customers may now charge for free while they shop at 60 locations across 16 states.
• Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge – Kohl’s has set a goal through the Better Buildings Challenge to reduce its use of energy in more than 112 million square feet of occupied building space by at least 20 percent by 2020.

Renewable Energy

• Solar Power – The company expanded its solar program by installing panels at 16 new locations and activating its largest array of solar panels at its million-square-foot, e-commerce distribution center in Maryland. To date, Kohl’s has more than 130 solar locations in 12 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and is one of the largest single hosts of solar electricity production in North America.
• Renewable Energy Credits – Kohl’s purchased more than 1.5 billion kWh of green power, enough to offset more than 100 percent of the company’s purchased electricity use for the third consecutive year. The company ranks first in retail and second overall on EPA’s quarterly rankings of top green power purchasers.

Additional information about Kohl’s energy initiatives and environmental strategies is available at www.KohlsGreenScene.com. Kohl’s comprehensive environmental program, Advancing Environmental Solutions, is part of the Kohl’s Cares® philanthropic platform, committed to making communities happier, healthier, greener places to live and work. Additional information about Kohl’s Cares is available at www.Kohls.com/Cares. For more information on the ENERGY STAR program, visit www.energystar.gov.

About Kohl’s

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. Nearly 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

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