{"id":15114,"date":"2017-03-09T17:13:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T22:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=15114"},"modified":"2017-03-10T12:56:44","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T17:56:44","slug":"85-of-americans-know-and-love-the-energy-star-program-so-why-cut-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/03\/09\/85-of-americans-know-and-love-the-energy-star-program-so-why-cut-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Energy Star Program Saves Americans Billions. So, Why Cut It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Evidently, President Trump and his environmental protection chief Scott Pruitt are just getting warmed up.<\/p>\n

Now they\u2019ve set their sights on one of the most successful and noncontroversial energy-related programs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ever managed \u2013 Energy Star, a program that saves consumers more than $30 billion a year.<\/p>\n

According to E&E News<\/a>, Trump\u2019s draft budget encourages the EPA to \u201cbegin developing legislative options and associated groundwork for transferring ownership and implementation of Energy Star to a non-governmental entity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Translation: Energy Star, you\u2019re dead.<\/p>\n

85% of Americans know Energy Star<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve shopped for a refrigerator, television, washing machine or computer in the last 25 years, you\u2019ve likely run across a product that\u2019s been certified by Energy Star. The voluntary program reviews the energy efficiency of a variety of electronic product categories, and labels the best performers \u2013 usually the top 25 percent \u2013 Energy Star Certified.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “85% of Americans Know and Love the Energy Star Program. So, Why Cut It?”]<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a clever concept, like a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for energy, but with better measurement and verification. By highlighting a product\u2019s energy performance and projected annual energy cost, Energy Star made energy efficiency<\/a> a feature.<\/p>\n

The EPA says the program has an 85 percent brand recognition rate [PDF]<\/a>, a level most ad execs would kill for.<\/p>\n

One of the reasons it has worked so well is its credibility and objectivity.<\/p>\n

Program’s transparency, credibility stand out<\/strong>
\n

Customers like it. Manufacturers like it. And it works.<\/p>\n<\/div>
\nSince Energy Star is government-run, it has the impartiality and transparency that a membership-driven industry organization can\u2019t achieve. A company can\u2019t shove its products through by \u201cdonating\u201d to the organization.\u00a0In fact, you\u2019d be hard pressed to find another government initiative with Energy Star\u2019s credibility.<\/p>\n

Over the years, being certified grew into a full-blown marketing advantage for companies with efficient products.<\/p>\n

Best Buy brags<\/a> about being Energy Star\u2019s partner of the year for the past three years in a row. Search for a flat-screen TV on Amazon.com or a refrigerator at Sears.com, and Energy Star is one of the \u201ccertifications\u201d you can use to filter your search.<\/p>\n

Companies benefit while consumers save<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its creation, Energy Star has saved consumers $430 billion\u00a0[PDF]<\/a> \u2013 $34 billion in 2015 alone \u2013 and prevented 2.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Customers like it. Manufacturers like it. And it works.<\/p>\n

Not too shabby, especially for a program that is completely voluntary.<\/p>\n

Yet, even being a smashing success isn\u2019t enough for President Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.<\/p>\n

So what happens if they go ahead and kill Energy Star? We\u2019ll see higher electric bills, less competitive manufacturing, wasted energy, more pollution and more sick kids. Is that making America great again?<\/p>\n

This post originally appeared on our Voices<\/a> blog.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Evidently, President Trump and his environmental protection chief Scott Pruitt are just getting warmed up. Now they\u2019ve set their sights on one of the most successful and noncontroversial energy-related programs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ever managed \u2013 Energy Star, a program that saves consumers more than $30 billion a year. According to E&E …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42996,254,84830],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-15114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-smart-power","category-energy-efficiency","category-grid-modernization"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Energy Star Program Saves Americans Billions. 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