Not all EnergyStar goods measure up, report finds

An internal audit by the Energy Department concluded that some EnergyStar products are not meeting the requirements to gain the energy-efficiency label.

On Monday, The New York Times reported the results of the audit, which found that the two agencies responsible for the EnergyStar program--the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency--haven't been fully enforcing compliance. The audit also said manufacturers of some products, including refrigerators and air conditioners, have been certifying products themselves.

Last week, the DOE issued a statement, detailing how it plans to firm up its oversight of energy-efficiency certification.

The DOE said it will randomly review whether manufacturers are meeting all the specifications for efficiency standards, such as the EnergyStar logo. Lack of full compliance could lead to penalties or actions, such as removing a label. The DOE also said it will issue guidelines for new product categories quickly.

The Obama administration has made energy efficiency, in appliances as well as vehicles, a high priority in its energy policy. The administration said that it has issued five efficiency standards ahead of schedule, which will save between $250 billion and $300 billion over the next 30 years as well as 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, once in effect.

The DOE noted that this summer it investigated two alleged violations of its efficiency code by makers of air conditioners and freezers and expects to resolve the cases shortly.

The EnergyStar program has grown rapidly since it started in 1992 and has become a familiar label for consumers looking to save money on electricity use or buy more environmentally friendly products. But the rapid growth of the program has led to some growing pains, building energy policy expert Lane Burt of the Natural Resources Defense Council told the Times.

[rayzoredge]

I'm green because I slap Energy-Star compliant stickers on everything I own.

[The Wiethoff]

Why not release the names of the products/ brands that failed the audit?

I don't see how the DOE "expects to resolve the cases shortly" without widespread product recalls and embarrassing announcements about the companies. The resolution of a fine, and a promise not to do it again in exchange for keeping quiet about the brand takes away all credibility to the Energy Star program.

Energy-Star = meaningless ?

[rmullen0]

The government has never checked for things like refridgerators. The way it always worked in the past is that the vendors were supposed to check each other and rat each other out if a company found that a competitor was making claims that were untrue. I bought a Whirlpool refridgerator recently and then I tested it to see how many watts/KWh it was using and found that used a lot more than what was claimed. I wouldn't be surpised if this was found to be true across the industry. Consumer Reports warns about this also. Government oversight IS necessary. The industry isn't going to oversee itself. Look what happened on Wall Street.

[SmedleyShakes]

So if I have an "energy star" product that doesn't meet standards I should be able to sue them for false advertising, right?