Sunrise Senior Living Communities Earn EPA's ENERGY STAR® Certification

More Than 30 Sunrise Communities Recognized by EPA for Superior Energy Efficiency

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Oct 02, 2012, 09:15 ET

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunrise Senior Living (NYSE: SRZ) announced today that more than 30 of its communities in the United States have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that these buildings perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide for energy efficiency and meet strict performance levels set by the EPA.

"Sunrise has brought innovation to the senior living industry for more than 30 years, and we are pleased to earn EPA's ENERGY STAR certification for our energy efficiency efforts," said Laura McDuffie, EVP and head of operations at Sunrise. "Sunrise is not only committed to championing quality of life for seniors, but embraces environmental stewardship as well. We will continue our efforts for additional communities to earn the ENERGY STAR certification in the future."

To earn this award, Sunrise's senior living communities focused specifically on implementing best practices for efficiency in the areas of lighting and HVAC, as well as laundry and kitchen operations. Sunrise continues to improve its energy performance by making energy-conscious decisions and cost effective improvements to its buildings and community operations. Commercial buildings that earn EPA's ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

"Improving the energy efficiency of our nation's buildings is critical to protecting our environment," said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. "From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA's ENERGY STAR certification."

EPA introduced the ENERGY STAR label for buildings in 1999, and began rating senior care communities in 2011. The ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA's 1-100 scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. In addition to the senior care industry, commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, data centers, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship and warehouses.

For more information on Sunrise's commitment to energy efficiency, and for a list of all Sunrise ENERGY STAR certified communities, please visit www.SunriseSeniorLiving.com/Energy-Star-Certified.

About Sunrise Senior Living

Sunrise Senior Living, a McLean, Va.-based company, employs approximately 31,600 people. As of June 30, 2012, Sunrise operated 307 communities located in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a unit capacity of approximately 29,800 units. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing and rehabilitative services. Sunrise's senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about Sunrise, please visit http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com.

About the EPA's ENERGY STAR Certification

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $23 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 41 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings: www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings

Contact:
Sara Abriatis
Corporate Communications
(703) 744-1829

SOURCE Sunrise Senior Living