Comments on: Is Energy Star Still Relevant? http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/05/is-energy-star-still-relevant/ Eco Friendly Home Product Ideas & Information Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:38:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Is A Greener Product Green Enough? Our Greenwashing Series Wrap-Up | EcoVillageGreen http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/05/is-energy-star-still-relevant/comment-page-1/#comment-239 Is A Greener Product Green Enough? Our Greenwashing Series Wrap-Up | EcoVillageGreen Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:24:16 +0000 http://ecovillagegreen.com/?p=1163#comment-239 [...] mentioned are Green Seal, GreenGuard, EcoLogo, WaterSense, Cradle to Cradle, and USDA Organic. Energy Star has issues, but is still the best measurement for energy efficiency available in the US. There are other good [...] [...] mentioned are Green Seal, GreenGuard, EcoLogo, WaterSense, Cradle to Cradle, and USDA Organic. Energy Star has issues, but is still the best measurement for energy efficiency available in the US. There are other good [...]

]]> By: Alex Cheimets http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/05/is-energy-star-still-relevant/comment-page-1/#comment-135 Alex Cheimets Thu, 14 May 2009 04:07:19 +0000 http://ecovillagegreen.com/?p=1163#comment-135 Energy Star was a system designed when efficiency was nice, but not really all that important. Manufacturers had the option of participating or not. Those days have past, reducing energy usage and increasing energy independence is a driving national goal, but the silk glove treatment of the manufacturers continues. At the same time there is no incentive for manufacturers to go above and beyond since a system based on certification not ratings does not provide any opportunity for the "best" to be recognized. And what would that mean in a program rife with loopholes, corrupted data, inconsistancy. The Energy Star has also failed in consumer education instead spending most of the last 2 decades only building its brand. Your suggestion that consumers must do more research themselves is unrealistic. The DOE regulations and the Energy Star program need to be completely rebuilt. http://applianceadvisor.com/content/open-letter-steven-chu-obamas-choice-head-doe0099 Energy Star was a system designed when efficiency was nice, but not really all that important. Manufacturers had the option of participating or not.
Those days have past, reducing energy usage and increasing energy independence is a driving national goal, but the silk glove treatment of the manufacturers continues. At the same time there is no incentive for manufacturers to go above and beyond since a system based on certification not ratings does not provide any opportunity for the “best” to be recognized. And what would that mean in a program rife with loopholes, corrupted data, inconsistancy.

The Energy Star has also failed in consumer education instead spending most of the last 2 decades only building its brand.

Your suggestion that consumers must do more research themselves is unrealistic. The DOE regulations and the Energy Star program need to be completely rebuilt.
http://applianceadvisor.com/content/open-letter-steven-chu-obamas-choice-head-doe0099

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