Ford's Energy Efficiency Efforts Earn Fifth ENERGY STAR Award

DEARBORN, Mich., March 1 -- --  Ford Motor Company earned its fifth straight ENERGY STAR® Award for
      Sustained Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  --  In 2009, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 4.6 percent
      resulting in savings of approximately $15 million
  --  Actions that have enabled Ford's energy efficiency gains range from
      updated heating and lighting systems to advanced computer controls

Ford Motor Company's actions to reduce the amount of energy used to manufacture vehicles and support its U.S. operations have earned it the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's coveted 2010 ENERGY STAR Award for the fifth consecutive year.

The 2010 ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence recognizes Ford's continued leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

In 2009, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 4.6 percent resulting in savings of approximately $15 million. Actual savings due to plant shutdowns were higher, but Ford measures energy efficiency as energy consumed per vehicle. Since 2000, Ford's U.S. facilities have improved energy efficiency by more than 30 percent. That's equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 110,000 homes.

"More than ever, we at Ford Motor Company are committed to the responsible use of resources," said George Andraos, director, Energy and Manufacturing Site Management. "Partnering with ENERGY STAR is an essential component of Ford's plan to become economically, environmentally and socially sustainable."

Energy efficiency enablers include innovative technology solutions, replication of best practices and nonproduction shutdowns. A number of actions taken by Ford since 2000 have contributed to its overall energy efficiency improvement, including:

  --  Using flexible tooling to assemble multiple vehicles on the same
      production line, which requires less manufacturing floor space and
      optimizes plant utilization
  --  Updated facility lighting systems by replacing inefficient
      high-intensity discharge fixtures with up-to-date fluorescent lights
      and control systems
  --  Upgraded paint process systems including booth air handling and
      improved emission controls
  --  Continued development of Ford's "Paint Shop of the Future" processes,
      including Fumes-to-Fuel that turns paint fumes into electricity, the
      3-Wet painting process that significantly reduces the footprint and
      energy use of paint booths, and zirconium oxide pretreatment that uses
      less energy to inhibit surface corrosion
  --  Installed advanced computer controls on all North American plant air
      compressors for paint shop applications and pneumatic tools
  --  Initiated a PC Power Management program to improve global energy
      efficiency with an estimated reduction in the company's carbon
      footprint of between 16,000 and 25,000 metric tons annually
  --  Initiated the plan for the recently announced "Go Green" Dealership
      Sustainability Program to improve the energy efficiency of Ford and
      Lincoln Mercury dealerships
  --  Aggressively curtailing energy use during extended production shutdown
      periods
  --  Leveraging the ENERGY STAR program through employee energy awareness
      communications and events, development of energy modeling and analysis
      tools, and replication of industry best practices
  --  Updated heating systems at many manufacturing facilities by replacing
      outmoded steam powerhouses with digitally controlled direct-fired
      natural gas air handler

Ford has shared these and other energy efficiency practices with its global industrial partners and coached its regional operations to use ENERGY STAR guidelines as a foundation for sustainable energy management processes.

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, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 12,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107607.html