CONTACTS:
Enesta Jones (EPA)
jones.enesta@epa.gov
202-564-7873
202-564-4355
Jen Stutsman (DOE)
Jen.Stutsman@hq.doe.gov
202-586-4940
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2010
EPA, DOE Announce New
Steps to Strengthen Energy Star
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today 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.
This week, DOE began 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.
“Energy
efficiency is more important than ever to American families,” said Gina
McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.
“As our economy gets back on its feet, Energy Star is an easy way for
consumers to save money and help fight climate change.”
“Consumers
have long trusted the Energy Star brand for products that will save them
energy and save them money,” said Cathy Zoi, DOE Assistant Secretary
for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “The steps
we’re taking now will further strengthen and improve the program,
building on the results that consumers have come to
expect.”
Consumers can feel confident in Energy Star because in 2009 alone,
Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved enough energy to avoid
greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars — all
while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.
Taking Action: The Obama
Administration Strengthens Testing and Enforcement
EPA and DOE
are taking aggressive action to promote confidence in the Energy Star
brand through both testing and enforcement.
Testing. EPA and DOE have launched a
two-step process to expand testing of Energy Star qualified products:
· DOE began
tests this week on six of the most common product types: freezers,
refrigerator-freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, water heaters and
room air conditioners. DOE will test approximately 200 basic models at
third-party, independent test laboratories over the next few months.
· EPA and
DOE are also developing an expanded system that will require all
products
seeking the Energy Star label to be tested in approved labs and require
manufacturers to participate in an ongoing verification testing program
that will ensure continued compliance.
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 logjam 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
thedDepartment 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 $150,000 a
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
pattern of failure to comply with Energy Star program guidelines.
Why Consumers Can Remain
Confident in the Energy Star Brand
The Energy
Star program already has a comprehensive system in place to ensure
consumer confidence that products carrying the Energy Star label
actually save energy and save them money. Specifically:
- To receive an Energy Star
label, manufacturers must submit data to the federal government showing
that their product meets a set of clear, measurable energy efficiency
program requirements outlined on http://www.energystar.gov
· DOE and EPA
conduct “off the shelf” and third-party
testing of a wide range of products bearing the Energy Star label.
For example:
o All Energy
Star qualified windows, doors, and skylights must be independently
tested by the National Fenestration Rating Council, an independent
nonprofit organization with rigorous testing procedures monitored and
supported by DOE.
o EPA
regularly conducts “off the shelf” testing to verify Energy
Star compliance. For example, in 2009 EPA tested 20 TV
models and 16 imaging products and found 100 percent compliance with the
Energy Star label.
o Residential
Light Fixtures, compact fluorescent lights and Solid State Lighting
systems (also known as LEDs) are all tested by accredited, third-party
laboratories.
· Market
driven competition also provides a valuable insurance policy
on the Energy Star brand. Manufacturers know that the
Energy Star label is very attractive to consumers, and often test a
competing product to ensure it complies with the requirements. Suspected
violations can be reported to the EPA or DOE for follow-up.
· 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.
Independent Review Finds
98 percent Compliance
Violations
of the Energy Star label tend to get big media attention, which is good,
because it provides a strong disincentive for companies to skirt the
system and risk a wave of negative coverage about their product. At
the same time, consumers should be aware that in the past few years the
number of violations has been quite small, especially given
that more than 40,000 individual products carry the Energy Star label.
In 2009,
EPA’s independent Inspector General conducted a “spot check” of the
program, testing 60 Energy Star products. Fifty-nine
percent 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
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paste the URL into a browser.
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