AFC First Financial Corporation's Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (Keystone HELP®) Wins National Award for its Outstanding Work in Energy Efficiency

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AFC First Financial Corporation's (afcfirst.com) Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (Keystone HELP®) (keystonehelp.com) was honored with the prestigious 2013 Andromeda Star of Energy Efficiency award at The Alliance to Save Energy's annual awards dinner and ceremony on October 2^nd at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Robert Casey presented the award to Peter Krajsa, Chairman and CEO of AFC First and representatives of Keystone HELP's program partners, Keith Welks from Pennsylvania Treasury and Dan Lapato from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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Senator Casey lauded Keystone HELP® on its success in providing low-cost financing options to Pennsylvania residents to perform energy-saving improvements in their homes. Keystone HELP® was started in 2005 by AFC First Financial Corporation and the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund. The program was expanded statewide with principal capital support provided by Pennsylvania Treasury and program support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, with additional funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. There is a network of over 1,600 independent Pennsylvania energy contractors approved to perform work under the program. To date, the program has provided more than $100 million in financing to over 11,000 Pennsylvania homeowners for energy efficiency home improvements including heating and cooling systems, insulation and whole house energy improvements that meet Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® standards.

The award was given by The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), a non-profit organization that promotes energy efficiency worldwide through research, education and advocacy. These annual awards are given to individuals and companies that have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency both in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to AFC First and Keystone HELP®, this year's award winners included U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore and Whirlpool Corporation among others.

About AFC First
AFC First Financial Corporation (afcfirst.com), founded in 1947, is a national leader in home energy efficiency lending and programs. AFC First administers Pennsylvania's Keystone HELP® as well as other energy lending programs including the Illinois On Bill Finance Program, Philadelphia EnergyWorks, Efficiency Maine Financing, Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, Richmond Regional Energy Alliance, Connecticut Solar Lease and Kentucky Home Performance as well as its national EnergyLoan® program through a network of over 5,000 approved contractors, manufacturers and utilities. AFC First was the first private, non-utility Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® sponsor approved by the U.S. Department of Energy and is a HUD Approved FHA PowerSaver Lender.  Its Green Energy Training Center is an official BPI Test Center. AFC First is an organizer of the Green Energy Federal Credit Union, expected to open in 2013.

SOURCE AFC First Financial Corporation