text: EPA, DOE Announce New Steps to Strengthen Energy Star | Certification / Training | Industry News | News
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  Agencies designing system to test all qualifying products while cracking down on scofflaws.
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have outlined a series of steps to further strengthen the trusted Energy Star program. This action comes at a critical time for American consumers, many of whom struggle to keep up with their monthly energy bills.
  In addition to third-party testing already underway, EPA and DOE have launched a new two-step process to expand testing of Energy Star qualified products. DOE has begun testing of some of the most commonly used appliances, which account for more than 25 percent of a household's energy bill, and both agencies are now developing a system to test all products that earn the Energy Star label. The steps are part of an overall effort by the Obama Administration to improve the energy efficiency of homes and appliances to save families money.
  Testing: EPA and DOE have launched a two-step process to expand testing of Energy Star qualified products:
  Enforcement: EPA and DOE have taken a series of actions in recent months to ensure compliance with both Energy Star and DOE's appliance efficiency standards, including taking action against 35 manufacturers in the past four months. The Energy Star program helps consumers identify the products that are highly energy efficient and will save them money on utility costs, while DOE's minimum appliance efficiency standards apply to all appliances and set a baseline energy efficiency levels for appliances.
  2/5/09--President Obama ordered DOE to clear the log jam and issue long-delayed appliance efficiency standards. The Department subsequently met every deadline and issued six standards in 2009 that are expected to save consumers between $250 billion and $300 billion over the next 30 years.
  7/23/09--DOE issued a subpoena to AeroSys, Inc. to obtain the necessary test data to determine whether certain air conditioners and heat pumps comply with the applicable energy conservation standards.
  9/24/09–DOE required AeroSys, Inc., a manufacturer of air conditioners and heat pumps, to provide product samples for the department to conduct its own testing to verify whether certain models meet the federal minimum energy efficiency standards.
  10/13/09–DOE announced the formation of an enforcement team within the Office of the General Counsel, which is leading the department's efforts to monitor compliance with Energy Star criteria and enforce minimum appliance standards. This includes a program to randomly review manufacturers' compliance with DOE certification requirements and aggressively pursue any violations.
  12/7/09--DOE and EPA announced they were taking steps to remove the Energy Star label from 20 LG refrigerator-freezer models that multiple independent labs confirmed were consuming more energy than allowed under the Energy Star criteria.
  12/9/09--DOE announced that it would be aggressively enforcing reporting requirements that manufacturers are required to submit to the department certifying the energy use of residential appliance models and compliance with energy efficiency standards. DOE offered manufacturers a 30-day window to submit complete and accurate reports to the department. During that period, DOE received energy use reports from 160 different manufacturers, covering more than 600,000 residential products.
  1/7/10--DOE announced it had signed a consent decree with Haier on four of its freezer models–including two Energy Star models—that were consuming more energy than reported. As part of the agreement with the department, Haier is required to notify all affected consumers, repair any defective units, and pay a $150,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury.
  1/25/10--DOE disqualified 34 CFL models from 25 manufacturers that did not meet all of the Energy Star criteria for compact fluorescent lightbulbs.
  1/28/10--DOE initiated enforcement actions against four showerhead manufacturers who failed to certify 116 product models as meeting the federal water conservation standards.
  2/4/10--DOE initiated a civil penalty enforcement action against a manufacturer of air conditioners and heat pumps for failing to certify some of its products and for certifying other products when they had not been tested in accordance with DOE's test procedure.
  3/7/10--DOE initiated enforcement actions against two additional showerhead manufacturers who were suspected of selling products that do not meet the federal water conservation standards.
  3/11/2010--EPA notified US Inc/US Refrigeration that their partnership with Energy Star was terminated based on a history of logo misuse, unresponsiveness, and a pattern of failure to comply with Energy Star program guidelines.
  DOE and EPA conduct "off-the-shelf" and third-party testing of a wide range of products bearing the Energy Star label. For example:
  When a violation is found, the right to use the Energy Star label is revoked, corrective measures are required and the Energy Star partnership may be terminated. For example, in 2008 under DOE pressure, LG Electronics agreed to pay back consumers for promised energy savings and provide free, in-home upgrades to improve several models of refrigerators. These cases also produce substantial unfavorable publicity for manufacturers, which can be very costly and create a major disincentive for companies to violate the program requirements.
  In 2009, EPA's independent Inspector General conducted a "spot check" of the program, testing 60 Energy Star products. Fifty-nine of the 60 products met or exceeded the Energy Star requirements. One product, a specific model of printer, failed on one of three tests (not entering "sleep mode" fast enough). More information on Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov