The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) with a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its energy efficient products and services. The company's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2010.

Johnson Controls, an ENERGY STAR partner since the program started in 1992, is being honored for its work in efforts to help buildings meet ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. 

In 2009, Johnson Controls launched a major initiative to integrate ENERGY STAR programs into the services it provides to its customers. The company trained approximately 425 field personnel in North America on ENERGY STAR tools and applications. To complement this training, it added several new tools to facilitate ENERGY STAR benchmarking of its customer’s buildings and interpret the results. During that time, Johnson Controls benchmarked more than 900 buildings through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.

Johnson Controls also used ENERGY STAR in its internal branch operations in its “Energy and Sustainability Champions” project.  Teams of field employees benchmarked 16 North American branch offices using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. These teams then developed plans to further improve energy and environmental performance of these branches.

“We’re especially pleased to receive this award in our 125th year of operations.  There’s no better way to demonstrate our long-term commitment to energy efficiency – a practice started by our founder Warren Johnson in 1885 – than with the ENERGY STAR award,” said C. David Myers, president, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls. “We believe that energy efficiency in buildings is the first and most important step to take to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Using ENERGY STAR is a great way for our customers to better understand their current energy performance, and how to improve it.”

 The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.  Last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved $17 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.

 “Johnson Controls is leading the way in creating and implementing solutions to climate change through greater energy efficiency,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “Johnson Controls has helped its customers understand how they can help protect our environment while saving energy and money.”

 About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 130,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.

 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. More than 17,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).