Energy Star a crock?
March 13th, 2006 | by mbhunter |The April 2006 issue of Smart Money has an article questioning the legitimacy of the federal government’s Energy Star program.
In essence, the nuts and bolts of what began as an EPA program in 1992 has been handed over to the manufacturers of the appliances that can bear the label. The makers of dishwashers, computers, refrigerators, and other small and large appliances do the testing themselves and the policing of the program themselves. The government will look at the test results and decide whether the appliance makes the cutoff or not.
With the push for energy efficiency, and with the clout that the Energy Star brand has developed by legitimate means, there is a conflict of interest when the sellers of the products are involved in the checks and balances. It’s to no one’s advantage (except the consumer’s, of course!) to tattle on each other about misapplying the label because both the ratter and the rattee will sell fewer products.
I suppose if the price difference in an Energy Star product and a non-Energy Star product is negligible, then it’s safe to go to the Energy Star product. If the price difference is a lot bigger — which it is, in some cases — then ask yourself what you’re getting for your money, and check another source, like Consumer Reports.
