GORELL RECEIVES ENERGY STAR® AWARD FOR SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR.

Gorell Windows & Doors has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as the winner of the prestigious ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award for the seventh straight year. Gorell received the “Sustained Excellence” Award—bestowed only on organizations that have won the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award three or more consecutive times—for the fifth consecutive year. Gorell won for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through manufacturing highly energy-efficient windows and doors and promoting the ENERGY STAR program as part of its green efforts.

“EPA is recognizing Gorell with our highest ENERGY STAR award—the 2010 Sustained Excellence Award,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “Gorell’s continued leadership and commitment to energy efficiency is a testament to what we can accomplish to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our global environment.”

The “Sustained Excellence” award reflects Gorell’s long-term commitment to manufacturing ENERGY STAR qualified products as well as the company’s work in promoting the ENERGY STAR program. The EPA and DOE also recognized Gorell for consistently exhibiting leadership, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches and showing others what can be achieved through energy efficiency. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR Program. Other Sustained Excellence winners include General Electric, Whirlpool Corp. and Sylvania Lighting. Gorell’s accomplishments will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2010.

“We’re proud—and honored—to achieve seven straight years of national recognition from the EPA and DOE,” Brian Zimmerman, Gorell President & COO. “ENERGY STAR is an integral part of Gorell’s business—it’s become the cornerstone of our commitment to energy efficiency. Our employees continuously strive to produce not only the best, most innovative windows and doors in the industry—but the most energy-efficient products available. We also place great emphasis on educational and training materials to ensure that our employees, dealers and consumers have a clear understanding of the ENERGY STAR program and the benefits that energy-efficient products provide.”

Since its inception in 1993, Gorell Windows & Doors has made energy efficiency a top priority in every facet of its business. In 2009, 97.9 percent of the windows and doors Gorell manufactured qualified for the ENERY STAR label, one of the primary reasons Gorell won the Sustained Excellence award. Gorell’s efforts to get its dealers signed up as retail partners—as well as the company’s significant investment to ensure that it would comply with the new ENERGY STAR windows and doors criteria on January 1—also played a major role in capturing the award.

Gorell windows and doors are made of vinyl, a highly sustainable material. Gorell manufactures dozens of different energy-efficient window designs and offers seven high-performance Low-E glass systems that feature double- or triple-insulating glass, low-emissivity coatings and inert gas fill between the panes. Every Gorell vinyl window or door that incorporates one of the company’s optional Low-E glass systems qualifies for the ENERGY STAR label.

Gorell manufactures windows for replacement and new-construction applications, patio doors and aluminum storm windows and doors. The company markets its products through a network of dealers and distributors. Acknowledged as the most innovative and fastest growing manufacturers of windows and doors in North America, Gorell is consistently recognized for its high product quality and excellent customer service. Gorell was also the first vinyl window manufacturer to have its double-hung windows certified by Green Seal™, an independent, nationally recognized non-profit green organization based in Washington, D.C.