Energy Star - Controversies

Controversies

On December 17, 2008, the EPA Office of the Inspector General released its report on the Energy Star program. The Inspector General's audit found that the program claims regarding greenhouse gas reductions were inaccurate and based on faulty data. Additionally, the IG found that Energy Star program's reported energy savings were unreliable, and that many of the touted benefits could not be verified. "Deficiencies included the lack of a quality review of the data collected; reliance on estimates, forecasting, and unverified third party reporting; and the potential inclusion of exported items," the report concluded.

Additionally, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Consumer Reports, and the trade website ApplianceAdvisor.com, have released statements claiming that Energy Star test procedures contained loopholes that allow many inefficient products to receive Energy Star labels. Specific claims include:

• U.S. Department of Energy regulations allowed the manufacturers to test the refrigerators with their ice-makers turned off, which is not how they are normally used in the home. However, the Energy Star requirements usually exclude refrigerators that include an ice maker because of the penetration of the ice dispenser. Some designs get around this by dispensing the ice into a tray located in the freezer.

• Using outdated testing rules and loose standards to award Energy Star ratings.

• The program allows manufacturers to test their own products and only selectively spot-checks the test results they submit.

• There are so many individually rated refrigerator categories that even inefficient product categories (such as side-by-sides) are certified.

Before the complaints were raised in 2008, 2006 federal court had required the DOE to update and tighten misleading Energy Star ratings given to products in almost two dozen categories, including dishwashers, air conditioners, heaters, furnaces and clothes dryers. The updates were to settle complaints by 14 states. However, categories such as room air conditioners and clothes dryers would not be completed until June 2011.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had released reports in 2007 and 2008 claiming Energy Star labels were misleading. Inspector general issued a report that said Energy Star's savings claims were "not accurate or verifiable." The report also found that shipment data for Energy Star products were not being adequately reviewed and in some cases, were based on estimates instead of actual shipping totals.

Martin Hellman revealed that Energy Star standby mode requirement can be compromised when an electronic device uses Download Acquisition Mode (DAM) feature to update TV Guide listing during standby mode. Hellman first found the feature on Sony KDL-37XBR6.

In March 2010, a report by the Government Accountability Office stated that the Energy Star program had accepted 15 out of 20 bogus products submitted for approval. The Energy Star program had also qualified four businesses as Energy Star partners, failing to catch the fact that information on the companies, products and staff were all fictitious.