BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation's (NYSE: WHR) new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Tennessee, achieves Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

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At this advanced facility, Whirlpool manufactures premium cooking appliances including ranges, cooktops and wall ovens. The Cleveland facility includes a more than 1.5 million square foot manufacturing facility, testing lab and distribution center.  As the largest cooking manufacturing facility in North America, this Whirlpool facility features some of the most energy efficient and technologically advanced manufacturing processes available.

"Our Cleveland, Tennessee, facility is another example of Whirlpool Corporation's commitment to and investment in America," said Lee Utke, Sr. Director, Global Real Estate, Whirlpool Corporation. "Receiving LEED Gold certification for the facility is a point of pride for our employees who believe in giving back to and protecting the environment in the communities Whirlpool calls home."

Sustainable features and practices incorporated into the facility with partner Gray Construction, the designer/builder, include:

• Minimized Heat Island Effects – Highly reflective roofing materials were installed to reduce heat island effects and increase the efficiency of the HVAC systems. High solar reflective index (SRI) concrete pavement was also installed to minimize the heat island effect and eliminate the generation of greenhouse gases and pollution.
• FSC Certified Wood – Wood used in the construction of the Whirlpool facility was a level of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. The FSC standard incorporates many criteria that contribute to long-term health and integrity of forest ecosystems, which include sustainable timber harvesting, preserving wildlife habitat and biodiversity, maintaining soil and water quality.
• Use of Low-VOC Materials – Low-volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, paints and caulks were used. Off-gassing in the interior environment was significantly decreased and the building surpassed the requirements for pre-occupancy indoor air quality testing.
• Low-Flow Plumbing – To reduce the amount of water the Whirlpool project would use, Gray installed ultra-low-flow plumbing fixtures. The water usage is more than 40 percent less than a regular base line building and no potable water is used for irrigation due to the process of rainwater reuse, which helps to conserve local and regional potable water resources.
• Construction Material Recycling – Construction waste was carefully managed to recycle or reuse materials as much as possible; more than 20 percent of the materials used to construct the building were recycled. 

To encourage people to ride bikes, showers were installed. In an effort to decrease vehicle emissions, seventy-two preferential parking spots have been designated and provided for employees driving low-emitting, fuel efficient vehicles and car poolers.

Whirlpool Corporation's sustainability strategy consists of a holistic approach including consideration for both new and existing facilities.  In 2011, Whirlpool's Clyde, Ohio, manufacturing facility piloted a real-time metering system, Energy Online, carefully monitoring energy, water and waste. The monitoring has allowed the company to assess critical areas of the facility and its processes, thus identifying opportunities to create efficiencies in operations and minimize energy consumption.  This builds awareness and a better understanding of the company's use of resources, thus reducing greenhouse gases. The Clyde facility is the first to offer this real-time monitoring, Whirlpool Corporation's other seven plants are able to share data to compare best practices, lessons learned, and the ability to forecast for greater energy efficiency.  

At Whirlpool, we focus our sustainability efforts on the key areas of reducing energy and water use, cutting emissions and waste and supporting our employees and communities. And we apply those efforts to the broad view of the entire appliance lifecycle, from manufacturing, to home use, to end-of-life recycling.

About Whirlpool CorporationWhirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $18 billion in 2012, 68,000 employees, and 65 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About Whirlpool Invested in AmericaFounded 100 years ago in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Whirlpool Corporation employs more U.S. workers than all of our major competitors with 22,000 employees in the United States. Of the products we make, more than 80% of products sold in U.S. are made in U.S. The company is making a more than $1 billion U.S. investment in our plants & equipment over four years (2010 – 2014), including more than $2.2 billion invested in U.S. research, development and innovation over the same time period. In addition, more than $7.4 billion is spent annually to operate and invest in nine U.S. manufacturing plants employing approximately 15,000 manufacturing employees. In Cleveland, Tenn., we operate the world's largest premium cooking manufacturing facility in the world and in Ohio we operate the world's largest clothes washer, dryer and dishwasher plants.

Whirlpool Corporation donates a range and ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator to every Habitat for Humanity home built in U.S., while Maytag Brand provides an annual $1.5 million grant to through the Dependability Awards for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Whirlpool Corporation has made more than $75 million in cash and in-kind donations to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations since 2006.

About LEEDLEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system providing third party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.  The LEED rating system offers four certification levels for new construction – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.  The certification was established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

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