Viewpoint

Here, a monthly perspective from Consumers Union on the latest challenges—and possible solutions—facing U.S. consumers today. See archived letters.

Energy Star improves

There's some good news out of Washington for consumers who consider energy efficiency when buying products: All those Energy Star labels on appliances and electronics should soon be more reliable.

Most consumers probably aren't aware that there was an automated approval process for Energy Star certification. Neither the Department of Energy nor the Environmental Protection Agency reviewed or approved each application individually.

But allowing companies to certify their own products didn't always give buyers accurate information, so Consumers Union pushed for independent testing for Energy Star qualification.

How believable?

A recent Government Accountability Office audit highlighted problems with automated approval when it found that a gas-powered alarm clock was given Energy Star certification. And over the past few years, Consumer Reports lab tests turned up a few products, particularly some refrigerators, that would use far more energy in homes than appeared on the Energy Star labels.

That should be changing. The DOE and the EPA, which oversee the Energy Star program, are starting to require energy-use test results from an approved, accredited lab before a product qualifies for the label. That's already the case for windows, doors, skylights, and compact fluorescent lights; the requirement will go into effect for appliances, electronics, and other lighting. Another improvement: Manufacturers will have to wait for the go-ahead from the EPA before they can display the Energy Star label on a product.

Stronger still

While we support those changes, the program could use additional improvements. The government doesn't update its testing protocols or Energy Star qualification criteria often enough, which has allowed new features and technologies to come on the market without being addressed by the Energy Star program. Dated test procedures result in products that technically conform to efficiency standards but don't necessarily deliver the promised savings.

We believe that the government should review Energy Star qualification criteria and tests about every three years. To avoid watering down the certification, Energy Star labels should go only to the top third most-efficient products in a given category.

What you can do

Though imperfect, Energy Star labels can help you compare models for yearly operating cost and kilowatt-hours.