The Energy Star program is overhauling its standards, certification process, and enforcement techniques—and its image—after the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that it was able to get bogus products approved.
In March 2010, GAO released a report about its experiences submitting 20 made-up products to Energy Star for certification, highlighting weaknesses in the program, which relies primarily on self-policing by manufacturers to maintain the label’s integrity. These products ranged from the truly ridiculous—a gas-powered alarm clock—to those that seemed believable, but all included fake data that showed performance better than anything currently on the market. According to the report, “GAO found that for our bogus products, certification controls were ineffective primarily because Energy Star does not verify energy-savings data reported by manufacturers.” The program did require confirmation of test results for two products, which were then rejected.
The agencies that oversee the Energy Star program—the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—responded quickly to the findings, changing the program’s policies and the way it approves products. By April 10, 2010, the agencies had stopped approvals of new products through Energy Star’s self-certification and automated-qualification programs (which did not require staff member reviews). The Energy Star program now requires staff review of all products, as well as testing results backed up by reports from independent laboratories.
DOE and EPA began testing products that have already been certified, starting with the most common appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dishwashers, and water heaters. The agencies have also taken action against 35 manufacturers whose products carried the Energy Star label but did not meet Energy Star standards. Among these was LG Electronics, which had 21 refrigerators carrying the label—some sold under the Sears/Kenmore name—that failed to meet Energy Star standards. LG removed the Energy Star labels from those products and signed a memorandum of understanding with testing and certification firms Underwriters Laboratories, Intertek, and CSA International to have all of its products tested to ensure Energy Star compliance.
Energy Star is also strengthening the standards it uses for its homes label. New guidelines for the homes program, which go into effect in January 2011, will require that Energy Star homes exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by 20%. New requirements include enhanced air sealing and envelope insulation, higher-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and moisture control in the envelope.
