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J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

Partner of the Year — Energy Management
J. C. Penney Company, Inc.
Plano, Texas

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is one of America's leading retailers with 1,067 stores. It was the first retailer to earn the ENERGY STAR label for a retail store upon the release of EPA's energy performance rating for retail in October 2007. With the full support of top management, J. C. Penney Company's energy management program has focused on continuous improvement and refining systems and processes to increase effectiveness. This is the second time J. C. Penney Company has received ENERGY STAR recognition. The company's outstanding results include:

  • Maintaining the energy use across all stores in 2007 at the same level as 2006, despite opening 50 new stores and increasing store operating hours.
  • Upgrading 188 stores, representing 18.2 million square feet, through its Energy Management System initiative, bringing the total number of stores recently upgraded to 731. The company saved 7.6 percent in energy on average per store, for a total savings of nearly 20 million kWh and $1.9 million.
  • Implementing lighting retrofits in 167 stores, representing 14 million square feet, saving more than 27 million kWh and $2.6 million.
  • Earning the ENERGY STAR for four retail stores.

J. C. Penney Company has been particularly successful in helping its staff be part of the solution. Striving to make energy conservation direct, simple, and fun for the company's 155,000 employees, J. C. Penney Company designed an "Energy Captain" Portal to supplement its online Energy Center. The Portal is a one-stop shop for energy reports and support materials, as well as a forum to share ideas with peers. It will soon include a meter that displays a store's monthly ENERGY STAR performance rating. On Earth Day 2007, the company held a celebration at its home office, where thousands of CFLs were distributed to associates taking the ENERGY STAR Change a Light pledge. J. C. Penney Company capped an outstanding year by sponsoring the October 2007 coast-to-coast ENERGY STAR Change a Light Bus Tour promoting the use of CFLs and other energy-saving practices.

J. C. Penney Company also implemented two customer education initiatives in 2007-displaying ENERGY STAR clings on all store doors to promote the company's 2006 Partner of the Year award, and directing customers to the ENERGY STAR Web site on all printed sales receipts during October Energy Awareness Month.