[July 14, 2011]

Allianz Life Earns Second Straight Energy Star Designation

For the second consecutive year, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) has earned the prestigious Energy Star designation for its campus in Golden Valley, Minnesota. This award acknowledges Allianz Life's attention to superior energy performance and recognizes its headquarters as among the most energy efficient in the US.

"We continually fine tune our building operations to be as efficient as possible and this award is a testament to our employees' passion for the environment," said Allianz Life Chief Human Resources Officer Suzanne Zeller. "We've consistently implemented energy conservation programs for cost reasons, but also because it's the right thing to do."

Allianz Life earned a score of 91 out of 100 (vs. 78 out of 100 last year) puttin it in the top nine percent of similar-size buildings nationwide. Energy Star buildings on average use 35 percent less energy and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The energy saved represents enough to power more than 300 homes and saves the company more than half a million dollars annually, according to Energy Star.

To earn the designation, Allianz Life took the following actions:

• Changed light bulbs to reduce wattage in every area.
• Changed core operating hours to 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Turned off heating/cooling systems on weekends and parking ramp lights late at night.
• Converted parking ramp lights to lower wattage and installed energy-conserving fluorescent bulbs on two floors.
• Installed motion sensors in our auditorium so that the air conditioning will only go on when needed and shut off 10 minutes after no motion is detected.
• Closed blinds on hot days to reduce heat entering building and lessen AC workload.

Energy Star was started 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 EPA. Last year, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved approximately $18 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 33 million vehicles.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America has been keeping its promises since 1896. Today, it carries on that tradition, helping Americans achieve their retirement income goals with a variety of annuities and life insurance products. A leading provider of fixed index annuities, Allianz Life is part of Allianz SE, a global leader in the financial services industry with nearly 155,000 employees worldwide. Based on its revenue, Allianz SE is the 20th largest company in the world (Fortune Global 500, August 2010).

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