The United Illuminating Company, Southern Connecticut Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, and Eversource Energy

UIL Holdings Corporation—which includes The United Illuminating Company, Connecticut Natural Gas, and the Southern Connecticut Gas Company—is an energy delivery company serving 690,000 electric and natural gas customers in 66 communities across two states. Eversource Energy serves customers in 152 cities and towns across three states. Together, UIL Holdings Corporation and Eversource Energy administer Energize ConnecticutSM, an initiative to help consumers save money and use clean, affordable energy. The companies are receiving ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year recognition for their successful leveraging of the ENERGY STAR platform across their efficiency program portfolio. Key 2015 accomplishments include:

• Increasing sales of ENERGY STAR certified light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs to more than 1.6 million in 2015. ENERGY STAR LED bulbs now represent 57-percent of the lighting product mix, a 400-percent increase since 2013.
• Incentivizing the sale of almost 12,000 ENERGY STAR certified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and water heating products, representing savings of almost 3.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) annually and 42.3 million kWh over the lifetime of the measures. This represents an increase of more than 900-percent in some equipment categories compared to sales in 2013.
• Expanding partnerships with heating and water heating distributors and contractors in the state to encompass 99-percent of all equipment distributors, 100-percent of water heating retailers, and more than 480 equipment installation contractors.
• Focusing on reaching underserved market segments, including elderly, bilingual, and low-income customers. In 2015, the Retail Products program expanded to promote ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs to more than 220 discount chains and small local demographic stores or bodegas, and worked with manufactures to provide ENERGY STAR educational and marketing materials in other languages such as Spanish and Chinese, helping to drive the sale of more than 126,000 ENERGY STAR certified bulbs to underserved markets statewide.
• Opening the new, expanded Energize Connecticut Center. The centrally located SmartLivingSM Center in Orange, Connecticut hosts school tours, community events, seminars, and small meetings. The Center supports all Energize Connecticut programs, and heavily features ENERGY STAR throughout its many exhibits. Since opening in April 2015, the Center has already welcomed 11,000 visitors and hosted 125 school tours.
• Developing and implementing the innovative Bright Idea Grants (BIG) award system, through which municipalities earn points for participation in utility efficiency programs, and can redeem these points for additional grants to fund the implementation of energy-saving projects in their action plans.
• Delivering and expanding Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) across the state. The state-wide program in Connecticut utilizes the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score to encourage participation in HPwES after direct install measures are implemented. The Home Energy Score provides an energy efficiency label and recommendations for energy efficiency improvements, leading to more informed and motivated homeowners.