Is Energy Star Real?

Seems like every time you pop into a home store or flip on the TV, there is some new and improved "energy star" item which is supposed to save TONS of energy...But how real are the energy star labels?

I am all for saving money, and if I can do that while producing less energy, while still being comfortable - hey, sounds good to me. Why not? I buy into most of the necessity for energy star savings (the room air conditioners are a little slow at cooling, but...the savings is dramatic and they do work...). Ah, but I digress. I never really stopped to think about how these various products were actually getting the energy star label, and what they had to do to 'earn' it. Apparently there is a slew of testing to go through, and some companies have been less than honest.

To read this article at its original home, please visit the "Home Energy Magazine" Blog for their January/February editorial: http://www.homeenergy.org/blog.php?id=44

Recently, the energy star label was taken off of some LG appliances. There was much discussion of the impacts of this before it actually happened. Proponents of the removal said that the way LG had been circumventing testing was tricking homeowners into thinking that they were going to be saving energy when in regular use, they wouldn't be. Those who disagreed said that the energy star label program was hard for homeowners to understand anyways and removing the stickers from some items and not others would cause even more confusion. I think, that removing the stickers was the right thing to do. It's better to air on the side of truthfulness than rely on public relations and the "public's" understanding.

But what actually happened?

The government SETTLED with LG, so all LG needs to do is reinstall circuit breakers in each sold refrigerator and pay the owners of those refrigerators $30/a year (for 5 years) in energy costs. And they get to keep the energy star label.

What does this mean? That the government and major companies may not be taking this energy thing as seriously as they want you to believe they are.

How to buy energy star - and be sure it will provide savings:

1. See what savings the government is providing in tax or other types of rebates. If your local utility companies are also providing rebates, this is also a good sign.
2. Shoot for more of the "top" of the line energy star equipment. This means try to buy appliances that are the most efficient available. Because these units are put to stringent testing, those that come out on top, are usually the better qualified ones. If the unit you are looking at buying has just barely qualified for the energy star label, it is more likely that the company did something fishy during the testing.
3. Read up on the appliance you are looking to buy. Check out the Home Energy blog, consumer reports and other third party agencies that provide testing to ensure company claims. If the appliance has passed third party tests as well, it is more likely that the companies were truthful.
4. Lastly, ask around. See if your friends and neighbors have just installed something, and how their bills have worked out. While this isn't a surefire thing - as homes are different sizes etc., it will let you know whether there was a drastic change in what the buyer expected and got.

So, while I still trust energy star - albeit much a more skeptical 'trust' - It is a good idea to do your homework before making any purchase.