Dear Ronald,
If you’ve shopped for a computer, washing machine, or refrigerator, you’ve seen a little blue label on products that have been certified by ENERGY STAR. The voluntary program – established under President George H. Bush – reviews the energy efficiency of a variety of consumer goods, and labels the best performers ENERGY STAR certified.
President Trump’s budget proposal would eliminate federal energy efficiency programs like ENERGY STAR – which saved U.S. consumers $34 billion off their utility bills in 2015 alone!
We need your help telling Congress that programs like ENERGY STAR benefit all Americans. Email your legislators now.
About 18,000 companies and other organizations are ENERGY STAR partners, voluntarily putting the label on their products that meet efficiency guidelines. That helps consumers identify products that use less energy and cost them less to run. There is also ENERGY STAR for congregations that helps houses of worship become more energy efficient.
Since ENERGY STAR’s founding in 1992, the program has been highly successful. In addition to saving consumers billions off their utility bills in 2015, ENERGY STAR has kept 2.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
But the Trump Administration has decided to cut one of the most successful and noncontroversial energy-related programs ever. It’s up to Congress to determine funding levels for energy efficiency programs – email your legislators now and tell them you oppose eliminating ENERGY STAR and the cuts to other energy and climate programs.
We must bring pressure to bear on Congress to restore critical climate and energy funding in the budget. This funding is absolutely essential to building the clean energy economy and fighting global warming.
The Trump Administration’s proposed budget makes no sense – it takes the moral low ground by eliminating programs that help poor and vulnerable communities and help us be better stewards of energy. Please speak out to save ENERGY STAR today.
Sincerely,
Interfaith Power & Light
ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). Its goal is to help consumers, businesses, and industry save money and protect the environment through the adoption of energy efficient products and practices. The ENERGY STAR label identifies top performing, cost-effective products, homes, and buildings.
Since inception, ENERGY STAR has shown impressive results: in 2010 Americans saved enough energy to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 33 million cars, while saving nearly $18 billion on utility bills.
A Memorandum of Understanding between EPA and DOE on improving the energy efficiency of products and buildings establishes working arrangements to enhance and expand the various aspects of ENERGY STAR. EPA and DOE are coordinating efforts to expand and enhance the ENERGY STAR products program, the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, and the National Building Rating Program, also known as the Commercial Building Energy Asset Score program.
• The ENERGY STAR products program sets specifications, testing procedures, and verification testing requirements for various consumer appliances, electronics, and commercial equipment.
• The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program combines DOE’s research into residential energy use with ENERGY STAR’s outreach capabilities to promote energy-efficient home retrofits.
• The Commercial Building Energy Asset Score program is developing a commercial building energy asset rating program to allow building owners, managers, and operators to more accurately assess building energy performance.
ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Program
The ENERGY STAR Most Efficient program was launched in May of 2011 by DOE and EPA to identify and advance highly efficient products in the marketplace. Its goal is to increase market awareness and promote innovation in these products. This program identifies the most efficient products among those that qualify for ENERGY STAR for certain product categories on an annual basis. Additional information about the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Program can be found on the EPA website.
Additional Information
For more information on the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, contact David Lee atDavid.Lee@ee.doe.gov.
For more information on the Commercial Building Energy Asset Score, contact Arah Schuur atArah.Schuur@ee.doe.gov.
For more information on how DOE test procedure development, testing, and verification of ENERGY STAR products, contact ESTAR_verification_and_testing@ee.doe.gov.