The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have named Maytag Corporation (NYSE: MYG) as its ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for the company's outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by making and promoting energy-efficient products. Maytag's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 15th, 2003.

Maytag, a partner in the program since 1997, is being honored for its leadership in manufacturing and promoting products that earn the ENERGY STAR, the mark of environmental protection through energy efficiency. By choosing ENERGY STAR-qualified products, the typical household can save up to 30 percent on its energy bills, or approximately $400 a year.

In 1997, a field study was conducted by Maytag Appliances and the DOE in Bern, Kan., to document the real-world savings of the newly introduced Maytag(R) Neptune(R) high-efficiency washer. After four months and more than 20,000 loads of laundry, the landmark Bern Washer Study demonstrated that the Neptune's revolutionary design uses up to 40 percent less water and 65 percent less energy than a conventional top-loading washer, saving consumers up to $100 per year.

In 2001 alone, ENERGY STAR helped Americans save enough energy to power 10 million homes and reduce the air pollution equivalent to taking 12 million cars off the road -- all while saving consumers $6 billion.

Ralph Hake
Chairman and chief executive officer
"We are pleased to be a home appliance partner with the EPA through the ENERGY STAR program. More and more, our customers are asking for products that give them enhanced performance. ENERGY STAR-qualified products offer equal or better performance as standard models, while saving consumers money and benefiting the environment. Maytag's role as a manufacturer of energy efficient products provides a win for the company and a win for our customers."

The ENERGY STAR Award is given to manufacturers and retailers that successfully promote and deliver ENERGY STAR-qualified products, saving consumers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

"The ENERGY STAR program couldn't be such a success without the commitment of partners like Maytag," said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "The ENERGY STAR Awards are our chance to recognize those partners who, by manufacturing appliances and promoting ENERGY STAR, helped put more than 750 million ENERGY STAR-qualified products into American households over the last decade."