Lowe's is First Retailer to Repeat as WaterSense Partner of Year

Lowe's is First Retailer to Repeat as WaterSense Partner of Year

EPA Awards Lowe's Highest Honor for Water-Efficiency Achievements in 2009

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Lowe's the WaterSense(R) Retailer Partner of the Year for the second year in a row. Lowe's, the first retailer to win the honor in consecutive years, was recognized for its leadership in promoting water efficiency and raising awareness of the WaterSense label across the country.

"To be awarded WaterSense Retailer Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year reinforces our commitment to deliver innovative product solutions that benefit our customers and the environment," said Nick Canter, Lowe's executive vice president of merchandising. "Lowe's offers retail's largest in-stock selection of WaterSense products, and this award encourages us to continue to do more to help our customers save water and money."

Launched in 2006, WaterSense is an EPA-sponsored program that seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply with the help of more than 2,000 partners across the United States. The EPA honored Lowe's and three other Partners of the Year for contributing to the program's success by enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs and practices. The awards were presented Wednesday at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

"These partners contributed significantly to our efforts to make WaterSense-labeled products a household fixture in 2009," said Peter S. Silva, EPA's assistant administrator for water. "They also helped consumers who purchased these products save 36 billion gallons of water and more than $267 million in water and sewer bills in 2009."

Lowe's, a WaterSense partner since 2008, has increased its efforts each year in stores and online to help customers improve the overall efficiency of their homes. In addition to the 2010 WaterSense Partner of the Year Award, the EPA honored Lowe's in March for its long-standing commitment to energy efficiency by naming the company the first winner of the ENERGY STAR(R) Sustained Excellence Award in Retail.

Lowe's success educating consumers about water efficiency has helped conserve water for future generations while helping families save on utility bills. The EPA estimates that the number of WaterSense-labeled toilets and bathroom faucets Lowe's sold in 2009 can save customers $13 million each year on water bills and more than 2.4 billion gallons of water annually - enough water to fill more than 3,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Visit Lowes.com/EfficientHome to learn more about Lowe's commitment to help consumers find everyday ways to save water, energy and money.

Lowe's achievements in delivering water-efficiency savings to customers in 2009 included:

    --  Increasing the quantity and variety of WaterSense products available in
        more than 1,700 stores, including nearly tripling the number of
        WaterSense-qualified toilets in stock.
    --  Promoting WaterSense as a way to save water and money to approximately
        15 million customers per week through in-store efforts that included
        enhanced employee training and signage.

    --  Launching a Build Your Savings program, along with a website and home
        audit tool, to demonstrate how simple it is to save water, energy and
        money. Lowe's distributed nearly one million Build Your Savings Guides
        to help customers find money-saving products.
    --  Supporting tax-free events for WaterSense products, increasing national
        promotions and teaming with Kohler, a fellow 2009 WaterSense Partner of
        the Year, to offer customers additional discounts.

Lowe's continues to make it easier for consumers to improve the efficiency of their home by providing daily savings tips throughout Energy Awareness Month in October at Lowes.com/31Ways, and the company remains dedicated to reducing water and energy use across its operations. Find out more about Lowe's water-efficiency efforts and other environmental initiatives at Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

About Lowe's

With fiscal year 2009 sales of $47.2 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,725 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.


    Source: Lowe's