Anyone who has shopped for a major appliance in the last 15 or 16 years has seen the bright yellow Energy Star sticker that is pasted to the body of each, with the most energy efficient product earning a rating as Energy Star qualified.
All major home appliances must meet the Appliance Standards Program set by the US Department of Energy (DOE). Energy Guide labels will note whether the product is ENERGY STAR qualified. Not all products tested earn this qualification. Manufacturers must use standard test procedures developed by DOE to prove the energy use and efficiency of their products.
Energy Star was established in 1992 by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as a voluntary labeling program that sought to reduce the production of greenhouse gas emissions through identifying and promoting energy efficient products. The first products to carry the label were computers and monitors quickly followed by other types of office equipment and residential heating and air conditioning products. In 1996 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) joined with EPA and the two agencies now operate Energy Star as a joint venture.
Today the Energy Star label is on major appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, and laundry equipment, home electronics, HVAC systems, and lighting. Energy Star labels appear on 50 different product categories and thousands of product models. In recent years the program has been expanded to certify new homes and commercial and industrial buildings as well as consumer products and the EPA also offers tools and resources to help consumers plan and undertake projects to reduce energy bills and improve home comfort.
The Energy Star label provides consumers with the following information:
--The energy consumed by that particular product each year as measured in kilowatt hours.
--The high and low levels of energy use by similar products as measured in kilowatt hours. For example, refrigerators with freezers of approximately 23 cubic feet use energy in a range of 742 to 836 kWh/year.
--The savings in dollars that can be expected from using the labeled product over less efficient models.
Dollar savings are calculated using a national average of kWh rates and, the label used as an example on the DOE website says that these averages were calculated in 1995 so savings are probably greater now and there will be substantial variation in utility charges from location to location.
Energy Star partners with more than 12,000 private and public sector organizations, providing them with the technical information and tools needed to choose energy-efficient solutions and practices. These partners include product manufacturers, home builders, energy auditors, and utilities. EPA takes credit for having saved consumers, businesses, and organizations $16 billion last year alone. The agency says that these energy conservations measures also reduced greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 equivalent to that from 27 million cars. Interestingly DOE makes less grand claims. Their website says that consumers last year saved enough energy to power 10 million homes and avoid emissions equivalent to that produced by 12 million cars while saving $6 billion in energy costs.
Energy Star has come under fire from the Consumers' Union in the last few weeks and the EPA has strongly responded to the criticism of their oversight of the program. We will look at this controversy and will also explore what an Energy Star home is all about in subsequent blogs.