EPA and DOE Recognize Sears, Roebuck and Co. With ENERGY STAR® Excellence in ENERGY STAR Outreach Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Department of Energy (DOE) have recognized Sears with the Excellence in ENERGY STAR Outreach 2006 Award for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by marketing and promoting energy-efficient products and solutions. Sears accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2006.

Sears, an ENERGY STAR partner since December, 1998 is being honored for educating consumers about energy efficiency by promoting products that meet EPA and DOE's guidelines for energy efficiency. As one of the first retail partners with ENERGY STAR, Sears has won several awards for leadership including Partner of the Year (2000-2002) and Excellence in Appliance Retailing. This year, Sears continues to demonstrate market leadership in promoting ENERGY STAR qualified appliances with its "Spring Into a World of Savings" campaign. As part of this campaign, Sears' appliance department featured an abundance of ENERGY STAR signing. Sears also continues to support qualified appliances in product selection, sales associate training, advertising and on-line. Specific activities were stepped-up marketing of the Kenmore Elite HE4t laundry pairs, the Kenmore Elite Trio bottom-mount refrigerators, and the new Kenmore Elite Oasis line of top-load laundry products, as well as central and window air conditioners; water heaters and consumer electronics. In addition, Sears provided sales associate training on Earth Day; and distributed the Kenmore ENERGY STAR Savings Guide for Sears' customers. All-in-all, these efforts increased Sears' already significant sales of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances by 10% to more than 3 million net unit sales in 2005.

Sears' contributions to energy efficiency have had national impact. Last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved $12 billion on their energy bills and enough peak energy to power 28 million homes. Through those savings they avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 23 million vehicles.

"Sears is proud of our partnership with ENERGY STAR," said Tina Settecase, vice president and general manager of Home Appliances for Sears Holdings Corp. "We know that with ENERGY STAR consumers can save money and contribute to a healthy environment. No other retailer sells more ENERGY STAR appliances than Sears. It is satisfying that know that through our efforts we are able to help raise awareness about energy efficiency and, in turn, help protect the environment."

The Excellence in ENERGY STAR Outreach is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from over 8,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

"Partners such as Sears are spreading the word about the importance of energy efficiency in all aspects of our lives," said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "They are a leader in the industry and are doing an outstanding job of educating consumers about the benefits of ENERGY STAR products that help their customers save money and help protect our environment."

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 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 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. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com/ or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com/ .

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the program offers businesses and consumers energy- efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 8,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit http://www.energystar.gov/ or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: Larry Costello, Sears PR, +1-847-286-9036,
Lcoste5@searshc.com , or Maria Vargas, +1-202-343-9451, vargas.maria@epa.gov

Web site: http://www.sears.com/
http://www.searsholdings.com/
http://www.energystar.gov/