What are Energy Star Appliances?
Energy Star appliances are devices that meet certain international power standards set forth by the United States government program, Energy Star, created in 1992. The requirements cover many types of electronic items, from computers to washing machines and dryers to heating and cooling systems. Devices with the Energy Star logo generally consume twenty to thirty percent less energy than required according to federal standards.
History of Energy Star
The Energy Star program was developed by John Hoffman in 1992, under the control of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for the purpose of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by power plants. The program began as a voluntary labeling system for identifying energy-efficient computer products; in 1995, the program expanded to cover residential heating and cooling systems and new homes as well. Currently, the Energy Star label is found on more than 40,000 products over a wide range of items, including major appliances, home electronics, and office equipment, as well as approximately 25 per cent of new housing, amounting to nearly $20 billion in energy cost savings. The implementation of the Energy Star program and its requirements has played a major part in the spread of LED traffic lights, power management systems for office equipment, low standby energy use, and efficient fluorescent lighting.
Energy performance ratings
In addition to Energy Star appliances receiving labels based on energy consumption, there are specifications set forth for commercial and institutional buildings and manufacturing facilities in order to be considered a part of the Energy Star program. The ratings are given on a scale of 1 to 100 and provide a benchmark of the energy efficiency of certain building types and industrial plants against the energy performance of similar facilities.
For a majority of commercial buildings, energy information can be entered into an online tool, provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, which will calculate an energy efficiency rating based on the given details. Any buildings that receive an energy score of 75 or greater may qualify for the Energy Star label, thus expanding the scope of the program beyond the original energy star appliances concept. The types of buildings that can submit their efficiency ratings have been recently expanded to include K-12 schools, banks and other financial institutions, courthouses, acute care and children’s hospitals, hotels and motels, medical offices, dormitories, retail stores, supermarkets, and both refrigerated and non-refrigerated warehouses.