Energy Star Program Audit Find Problems with Ratings

 

An audit finds problems with the Federal Government's Energy Star program. 

The New York Times reported the Energy Department has concluded in an internal audit that it does not properly track whether manufacturers that give their appliances an Energy Star label have met the required specifications for energy efficiency.

Some manufacturers could therefore be putting the stickers on unqualified products, according to the audit, by the Energy Department’s inspector general, Gregory H. Friedman.

Due to differences in product rating standards Energy Star eligibility for certain types of products is determined by their manufacturers, 

Teams from the Energy Department and the E.P.A. oversee different categories of products. Last December, the environmental agency’s inspector general said the Energy Star ratings for products it oversees, like computers and television sets, were “not accurate or verifiable” because of weak oversight by the agency.

Those shortcomings “could reduce consumer confidence in the integrity of the Energy Star label,” according to the department’s inspector general.

Thr Energy Department requires manufacturers of windows and L.E.D. and fluorescent lighting to have independent laboratories evaluate their products, the report said, companies that make refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, water heaters and room air-conditioners, which consume far more energy, can certify those appliances themselves.

If you are looking for electronics and are concerned about energy consumption stores like Crutchfield feature their own independent tests of energy usage for items they sell.

via New York Times

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