Late Wednesday, officials with El Paso Electric (EPE) announced that the company has received the 2020 Energy Star Market Leader Award.

According to officials, the honor was awarded to EPE for its “outstanding efforts to promote and support energy efficient construction and help homebuyers experience the peace of mind, quality, comfort, and value that come with living in an Energy Star certified home or apartment."

"The Energy Star program proudly recognizes the efforts of our outstanding partners who have made important contributions to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection. Our 2020 Market Leader Award winners demonstrate a high level of commitment to making Energy Star certified homes and apartments available to American consumers. EPA proudly recognizes El Paso Electric as an Energy Star partner,” said Jonathan Passe, Chief of the Energy Star Residential Branch at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Each year, the Energy Star certified homes Residential New Construction program presents Market Leader Awards to outstanding partners who have made important contributions to energy efficient construction and environmental protection by building or verifying a significant number of certified homes and apartments, or by sponsoring a local program that supported these activities during the previous year.

With a baseline of at least 50 homes needed to meet Energy Star standards, EPE was able to contribute to 400 Energy Star certified homes in 2019 through EPE’s energy efficiency programs.

Officials say this effort is equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by 584 metric tons, growing 9,680 tree seedlings for 10 years, avoiding the consumption of 1,360 barrels of oil, or removing 126 vehicles from the roads.

“Becoming a homeowner in our community is a landmark moment in one’s lifetime, so it is an honor to be part of the histories of 400 families as we each do our part to improve the quality of life and standard built into our homes in a sustainable and energy efficient manner,” shares EPE’s Director of Energy Efficiency and Commercial Services Susanne Stone.

EPE is also a past recipient of the Energy Star Partner of the Year award.

In the United States, more than 95,000 Energy Star certified single-family homes and multifamily units were built in 2019, for a total of more than 2 million homes since 1995.

To learn more about El Paso Electric’s Energy Efficiency programs and incentives for Texas and New Mexico customers, visit www.epelectric.com or this webpapge.

For a complete list of 2020 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, click here.