Sears Helps North Carolina Residents Access Rebates Up to 15 Percent Off ENERGY STAR(R)-Qualified Appliances

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Sears Blue Appliance Crew™ is helping North Carolina residents access the $8,849,000 in rebates available for ENERGY STAR®-qualified appliances from April 22 through April 25, or until funds are exhausted, as part of the state's "Cash for Appliances" rebate program. Sears stores throughout North Carolina will open early at 6 a.m. on Earth Day, April 22 and have additional in-store staff available to help residents get an early jump on the rebates. Additionally, as the 2010 ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year, Sears has revamped its Web site, Sears.com/energystar to include even more tools to help Americans learn about ENERGY STAR, search for rebates and credits, find the right appliance and dispose of the old one properly, and take small steps to make a big difference. In an effort to help North Carolina residents better manage the rebate process, the Sears site also includes an interactive map, energy savings rebate calculator and information about ENERGY STAR products that qualify for the state rebates so customers can quickly and easily identify their favorite brands and models that are available for in-store purchase.

"At Sears, we're always looking for ways to make it easier and more affordable for Americans to swap out their old, inefficient appliances for new, ENERGY STAR models," said Doug Moore, president of Home Appliances for Sears. "This rebate money will go quickly, so we encourage our customers in North Carolina to take advantage of the stimulus plan as early as possible to ensure access to the state funds."

Under the U.S. Department of Energy-approved appliance rebate plan for North Carolina, residents purchasing ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances are eligible for instant rebates of up to 15 percent off(I) the following appliances from April 22 through 25. In order to qualify, residents are required to replace an old appliance with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified model from a participating retailer, such as Sears, and recycle the old appliance:

• Refrigerators with documented recycling
• Freezers with documented recycling
• Clothes washers with documented recycling
• Dishwashers with documented recycling

"Sears is proud to be the only retailer in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program, continuing our commitment to improving the environment through responsible appliance disposal," Moore said. "Not only are we helping the environment by reducing emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases, but we are also helping customers, like those in North Carolina, to dispose of their old appliances responsibly."

Through the RAD(II) program, the Sears Home Delivery Haul Away Service provides removal of one old, inefficient appliance for each new appliance purchased and delivered. Once the old appliance is removed, Sears and its partners ensure that the disposal process takes place in an environmentally friendly manner to avoid the discarding of appliances in landfills. Many of the components of the old appliance are then recycled.

Later this year, North Carolina residents will also be eligible for additional mail-in rebates for energy-efficient, whole-house heating and cooling systems including central air conditioners, water heaters and gas furnaces. This program is tentatively scheduled to begin in June 2010 and will continue until the remaining funds are exhausted. For more information on these rebates visit Sears.com/energystar or call Sears Home Services at 1-800-766-6298 to arrange an in-home appointment.

For North Carolina residents interested in purchasing energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances the Sears Blue Appliance Crew will assist shoppers from start to finish. They can:

• Provide information about which appliances qualify for state rebates in store and online at Sears.com/energystar
• Help shoppers find rebates – searching by product category and customer's zip code
• Submit rebates for purchases electronically, before they leave the store
• Provide customers with the recycling documentation required in order to receive the state stimulus rebates
• Remove customers' old appliances and dispose of them in a responsible manner through the Sears RAD program

For full rebate updates and details, and to learn more about Sears' online and in-store Appliance Research Centers, please visit Sears.com/energystar.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck Web site at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation Web site at www.searsholdings.com.

About Sears Home Appliances

Sears is the nation's leading appliance retailer with the largest selection - over 4400 models. Only Sears sells the top 10 brands, including Kenmore, the nation's leading appliance brand. Sears always beats the competition's price, guaranteed, up to 30 days. Sears offers worry-free 1-year service, guaranteed and free help and support on all brands serviced by Sears 24/7 by phone. Sears provides next day delivery on over 1600 models - that's five times more than any national competitor. In March 2009, Sears launched the online ENERGY STAR Rebate Center - a program to help educate Americans about the millions of dollars in rebates that are available for ENERGY STAR-rated products and make it faster to receive these rebates. Sears has demonstrated its commitment to increasing America's energy efficiency through its actions over more than 10 years.

Sears sells more ENERGY STAR-rated appliances than any other retailer. In fact, in 2008, Sears was the first retailer to sell more than 3.1 million ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances from the nation's top brands, including Kenmore, the nation's leading appliance brand. In 2008 alone, Kenmore ENERGY STAR-rated appliances helped save America nearly 700 million Kilowatt hours, over four billion gallons of water, and over $100 million dollars.

(I) Program details subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.Sears.com/EnergyStar.

(II) The Sears Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program applies to Sears full-line stores.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.