Heating and Cooling Product Manufacturer to Transform Winner's Home into a Healthier, More Relaxing Retreat with a $60,000 Eco-Friendly Home Comfort Makeover DALLAS (Dec. 19, 2005) – With outdated wallpaper featuring turquoise blue flowers and gold stripes, mauve and gold shag carpeting, pet odors and an inefficient heating and cooling system on its last leg, Victoria Stager's home is anything but comfy and cozy. However, her tale of domestic discomfort and soaring energy bills earned the Charlestown, Ind., resident the grand prize in this year's “Lennox Home Comfort Makeover™ Contest.” Lennox Industries, a leading provider of integrated home comfort systems, and an expert panel of judges selected Stager's home as the most uncomfortable home in North America after reviewing photos and essays from homeowners throughout the United States and Canada. As the grand-prize winner, Stager will see her headache of a home transformed into a healthier haven with a $60,000 environmentally friendly home comfort makeover. The prize package includes personal consultations with Victoria Schomer, an accredited interior designer who specializes in eco-friendly design, and an interior design makeover for the home. In addition, Stager will meet with a Lennox home comfort specialist, who will perform an air quality test to diagnose any specific indoor air quality issues before installing a customized, energy efficient Lennox Integrated Home Comfort System that not only heats and cools, but also lets the homeowner control the humidity and customize the airflow throughout the house — while removing harmful particles, chemicals and odors in the air. Lennox launched the contest, a unique twist on the traditional home makeover contest, to bring attention to the fact that home comfort isn't just about what you see in a home. What you don't see makes a significant impact on overall comfort, according to Schomer. “Homeowners often think they'll be comfortable after the lime-green shag carpet is removed and the torn wallpaper is replaced, but comfort isn't just about the things you can see in your home. Musty odors, chemical vapors, mildew, dust and other airborne particles, such as pet dander, can contribute to poor indoor air quality and make even the most aesthetically appealing living environments uncomfortable,” said Schomer. “That's why homeowners, like Victoria Stager, need to consider both the visible and invisible aspects of their home in order to experience true comfort.” Stager purchased her 27-year-old home in 1991, hopeful about its potential despite its aging, inefficient central heating and cooling system, multi-colored carpeting and late 70s décor. But like many homeowners, finding the time and money needed for home improvement projects has been challenging, which is why the Lennox Home Makeover Contest caught her attention. “I learned about the contest when I went online to research costs to upgrade my current heating and cooling system. As I read about the contest and Lennox' search to find the most uncomfortable home in North America, I knew that I had to enter,” Stager said. “When I learned that I had won, I nearly fell out of my chair. Winning the contest is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” In addition to the grand-prize winner of the Lennox “Home Comfort Makeover™ Contest,” Lennox also recognized four runners-up and awarded them gift certificates redeemable for Lennox home comfort equipment. The four runners-up included Mark Ratcliff of Mountville, Pa.; Sabine Steinhauer of Fredericktown, Mo.; Corey Self of Atlanta; and Dede Peters of Hermitage, Tenn. Judges for the Lennox “Home Comfort Makeover™ Contest” included Jennifer Vreeland, senior building editor for Country Living magazine; Karl Lohnes, style editor for Style at Home magazine and co-host of HGTV's “This Small Space;” Pat Simpson, host and producer of HGTV's “Fix it Up!” and “Before & After;” and Victoria Schomer, environmental interior designer and contest spokesperson. Lennox Industries' home comfort, indoor air quality and fireplace products are designed to deliver maximum comfort, efficiency and functionality, with the most innovative and reliable features available. For tips on how to improve the comfort and indoor air quality in a home, or for more information about Lennox home comfort products, please visit www.lennox.com.