By Shawn Shouse
Ag Engineering Field Specialist
Iowa State University Extension
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps consumers save money and protect the environment through promotion of energy efficient products and practices.
The Energy Star label is now on major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and more. EPA has also extended the label to cover new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.
In 1992 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced Energy Star as a voluntary labeling program to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Computers and monitors were the first labeled products. EPA expanded the label to additional office equipment products and residential heating and cooling equipment. In 1996 EPA partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy for particular product categories.
Through its partnerships with more than 12,000 private and public sector organizations, Energy Star delivers the technical information and tools that organizations and consumers need to choose energy-efficient solutions and best management practices.
Energy Star has saved businesses, organizations and consumers about $16 billion in 2007. During the past decade, Energy Star has been a driving force behind the more widespread use of such technological innovations as efficient fluorescent lighting, power management systems for office equipment and low standby energy use.
Energy Star provides a trustworthy label on more than 50 product categories (and thousands of models) for the home and office. These products deliver the same or better performance than comparable models while using less energy and saving money. Products include appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators, heating and cooling equipment such as furnaces and heat pumps, home envelope products including windows and insulation, home electronics such as power adapters and televisions, office equipment including computers and copiers and lighting devices including light fixtures and bulbs.
Energy Star also provides easy-to-use home and building assessment tools so homeowners and building managers can start down the path to greater efficiency and cost savings. Energy Star rated homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30 percent more efficient than standard homes.
Learn more and access Energy Star services at http://www.energystar.gov. Information for this article was excerpted from Energy Star web pages courtesy of the U.S. EPA.
This article is from the Nov. 2008 issue of Acreage Living.
Other articles in this month’s issue--
Can I Grow Grapes? (part 2)
Knowing Where the Money Goes Will Help Money Go Further
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