An Article on Energy Star You Should Not Miss

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program has taken some hits in the last year for different reasons but primarily for being vulnerable to fraud (see New York Times article) when it comes to granting Energy Star status to products. There is good news to report, however. According to an article last month in Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FS&E), new regulations taking effect January 1, 2011 will try to eliminate the possibility for fraud. Whereas product manufacturers previously had the low-cost option of self-certifying their products, that is now no longer the case. As of January 1, 2011, products must be third-party certified and tested.

That means some manufacturers without the means to pay for third-party certification and testing are facing the possibility of having the Energy Star label removed from their products. According to FS&E, under the new verification guidelines, 10 percent of a manufacturer's Energy Star-rated products must be tested each year by a third-party certified testing organization. Will third-party certification and testing add to the cost of the products you purchase? Probably. Manufacturers have many valid concerns and you can read about them in the FS&E article.

Also be sure to check out my recent article on the Energy Star rating for hotels. Your thoughts?