ENERGY STAR GETS NO STAR

Do you trust Energy Star? New report raises questions
March 31, 2010 (USA Today)

"…A [Government Accounting Office report to Congress] says [the Energy Star] program approved 15 bogus products, including a gas-powered alarm clock and an air purifier that looked like a space heater with a feather duster on top.

"To test Energy Star's accuracy, the General Accounting Office created four fake companies and submitted 20 fictitious products for approval. It said the products use 20% less energy than the most efficient ones on the market but was asked to provide third-party testing data for only four of them."

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"The 18-year-old Energy Star program, which certifies products in 60 categories from TVs to light fixtures for efficiency, has faced mounting criticism. It does not test every item it labels, often relying instead on manufacturers' claims and testing only if complaints arise.

"…[Covert Testing Shows the Energy Star Program Certification Process Is Vulnerable to Fraud and Abuse], a nine-month study (begun in June 2009) by GAO, a non-partisan watchdog agency that reports to Congress [concluded the Energy Star program is subject to fraud and abuse]. It rejected two products, approved 15 and had yet to decide on the other three…"

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"The U.S. government, in response to the criticism of several reports indicating inaccuracy, announced earlier this month that it was developing plans to test all products before approving them…The Department of Energy, which co-runs the program with EPA, has begun testing dishwashers, refrigerators, stand-alone freezers, clothes washers, water heaters and room air conditioners…

"Energy Star has given its stamp of approval to more than 40,000 products since its inception in 1992. In 2009 alone, it says these products saved enough energy to lower utility bills by $17 billion and to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars."