TOLEDO, Ohio, Jul 13, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Health Care REIT, Inc. (NYSE:HCN) announced today that it has expanded its commitment to furthering its sustainable business practices by becoming an ENERGY STAR Partner in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, the company is participating in the ENERGY STAR Challenge.

Health Care REIT will continue to improve energy efficiency through the ENERGY STAR initiative. By engaging in a strategic, corporate energy management program, the company will enhance its shareholder value while taking responsible action to preserve the environment and lower the cost of occupancy for its clients.

The ENERGY STAR Challenge calls for an energy efficiency improvement of 10 percent or more for the more than five million commercial and industrial buildings nationwide.

Forty-five percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are caused by buildings and industrial facilities. Making more efficient use of energy by participating in the ENERGY STAR Challenge will help reduce the carbon footprint and save money.

"By making energy-efficient choices, we can reduce our energy use and save money for our clients, and thus help lower the cost of health care and senior living," commented John T. Thomas, Executive Vice President - Medical Facilities of Health Care REIT. "Through ENERGY STAR, the EPA provides tools and resources to help us strategically manage our energy use."

"ENERGY STAR partners such as Health Care REIT are leading the fight against global warming by improving the efficiency of their buildings and facilities," said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the EPA's ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial branch. "We applaud these efforts to help protect our global environment for generations to come."

In partnership with ENERGY STAR, Health Care REIT will:

• Measure and track the energy performance of its facilities where possible by using tools such as those offered through ENERGY STAR
• Develop and implement a plan consistent with the ENERGY STAR Energy Management Guidelines to achieve energy savings
• Help spread the word about the importance of energy efficiency to its staff, clients and community
• Support the ENERGY STAR Challenge, a national call-to-action to help improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more
• Highlight its achievements with recognition offered through ENERGY STAR

Health Care REIT's participation in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program is another example of the broad range of sustainable business and environmental initiatives that are underway at the company.

LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings and provides building owners and operators with tools to make an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. LEED focuses on improving performance across five environmental categories: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.

About Health Care REIT. Health Care REIT, Inc., an S&P 500 company with headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, is a real estate investment trust that invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and health care real estate. The company also provides an extensive array of property management and development services. As of June 30, 2010, the company's broadly diversified portfolio consisted of 625 properties in 39 states. More information is available on the company's website at http://www.hcreit.com.

This document may contain "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When the company uses words such as "may," "will," "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. The company's expected results may not be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from expectations. This may be a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the company's ability to implement an effective energy management program. Additional factors are discussed in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in its other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Health Care REIT, Inc.

Health Care REIT, Inc.
Scott Estes, 419-247-2800
Mike Crabtree, 419-247-2800