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Energy Star Program Certifies 15 Out of 20 Bogus Products
longacre writes "A Gasoline-Powered Alarm Clock was among 15 bogus products granted the coveted Energy Star seal of approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency during a secret evaluation conducted by the Government Accountability Office. In addition, four fictional manufacturers run by fake people and marketed with crummy websites — Cool Rapport (HVAC equipment), Futurizon Solar Innovations (lighting), Spartan Digital Electronics, and Tropical Thunder Appliances — were granted Energy Star partnerships. The root of the problem: Manufacturers need only submit photos and not actual examples of their products, and they submit their own efficiency ratings, which are not independently verified by the EPA."
The sheer volume of applicants makes it infeasible for a single bureaucracy to effectively test physical hardware.
I have long thought that some of the devices with the energy star label were not that energy saving. Now I know.
I hope this caused some synapses to fire.
I guess the secret's out about my Energy Star certified gas-guzzling SUV that gets 10mpg, which I drive a few hundred miles every day?
That Tropical Thunder website is fueled by awesome-sauce.
I love how all the sites were 'Spun by Sitespinner.' Makes the Energy Star evaluators^Wapprovers seem doubleplus inept
Bernie Madoff stole 50 billion dollars right under the SEC and FINRA's noses. Unlike private agencies like the UL that face the threat of extinction if they ruin their brand, government agencies routinely screw up, screw the people they're supposed to protect and get more money for their failures.
Centralized control is not efficient nor effective.
The government is the very definition of waste, fraud and abuse, not the answer to it.
An Energy Star purchase can also get you some tax credits and rebates.
It is a sad state of affairs that our government has to set up a separate agency to analyze the (in)efficiency of a government organization that is setup to analyze the (in)efficiencys of other organizations. The U.S government is becoming a conglomerate of Department of Redundancy Departments, whose productivity is measured in how much money is thrown down the chasm. Glad to see my tax dollars at work.
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
"Spartan Digital Electronics is proud to announce its latest line of home electronics. The gas-powered Black-Gold model clock radio is sleek, durable, easy on your electric bill and surprisingly quiet. The newly Energy Star-qualified product is safe for indoor use and easy on the environment. This product approximates the size of a small portable generator for increased ease while traveling."
Of course the GAO is a government office, so if I'm not supposed to trust the government...
I'd rather not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I can think of plenty of places where the government is trustworthy: I trust them to bend over for corporate power in a heartbeat. Corporations no doubt benefit from a sham stamp of approval like "Energy Star" to help sell products. Private organizations do plenty of harm (Dow Chemical and Bhopal, war profiteering, financing campaigns that weaken consumer protections, the movie "The Corporation" is filled with more examples) and that harm is (by design) beyond any democratic relief or judicial oversight; we don't need more of that. On issues of life and death, war and peace, it's clear that the US government is plenty willing to keep wars, banks, and now HMOs financed with taxpayer dollars while its citizens suffer; plenty of examples of government-corporate working against the people. People need to fix this not think government is something to throw away. The power of government can be turned to benefit its people.
Digital Citizen
Where the hell can I buy the gasoline powered alarm clock? That's an awesome idea and I don't care how many energy stars it gets, I just want it right now.
Now I can get an Energy Star rating for my line of fusion energy powered penis implants and Clean Coal powered lawn mowers.
"Whats that? We still need another fake company name? Crap. What was that movie you just bought on Blu-ray, Bob?"
Bob: "Uhh.. Tropic Thunder?"
"Tropical Thunder Appliances it is then!"
If only the GAO had thought to hold back the report a few more days, they could have released it on April 1.
everyone knows those gasoline powered alarm clocks are no good, i always go for the diesel powered alarm clocks the work much better, i tried the nitro-methane clock but it would blow a gasket every time it updated to NTP
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
I've just been printing my own EnergyStar stickers. Why waste time with bogus product tests?
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
is it reminds consumers that conserving energy is a good idea in general. Computer monitor has fraudulent sticker because its power consumption is too high to be eligible for certification, but seeing the sticker all the time gets me to drive the car less often. Result is net energy savings.
Obviously the above is not an excuse for false certification, but if done a bit differently and more honestly, could amount to an ad campaign for conservation, not necessarily a bad thing.
Clearly, the EPA has made the mistake of going "full retard" here.
In addition, four fictional manufacturers run by fake people
How can fake people run a company? I'd seriously like to know, because it could save my company a lot of money in labor costs, if I could get non-existent people to do the work.
... and then they built the supercollider.
There is no reason why that should be allowed and Marijuana be illegal. To completely different things but both impact America so much. Why is this ENERGY STAR???
Like many things run by the government, there's probably more incentive to do the job poorly than well. Giving a company or a product a pass probably requires less justification and hassle than turning one down.
To blow smoke up your own ass like that.
Of course you don't think you're being efficient. You can only see your small piece of the puzzle. Just because your'e not loafing and your co-workers appear to be doing the same doesn't mean that you're actually efficient about whatever it is your agency is supposed to be responsible for. And that doesn't even get into the possibility that you could be very efficiently accomplishing tasks that themselves are not actually beneficial to society.
Never underestimate the ability for a bureaucracy to appear busy, no matter how any resources it wastes. The reason people focus on government inefficiency more than corporate inefficiency (other than the obvious size difference) is that you can end your relationship with any corporation at will, whereas government has the ability to compel you under threat of life and limb, to continue to comply. You can't simply "do without" government services, the only way dissolve your involuntary obligation is emigration.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
... is the sound of thousands of spurned perpetual motion machine inventors dragging their creations out of the closet for their Energy Star photo op.
"Hey hon'. Have you seen my two hundred mile per gallon carburetor prototype anywhere?"
"You weren't using it dear. And it makes a beatiful flower pot."
Have gnu, will travel.
This is another well documented case of where government, especially big government fails (no matter how well intentioned). I'd urge readers to do some research on underwriters laboratories. A UL listing is de-rigeur for anything in new construction and has been for decades, yet UL certification is voluntary and the testing and listing of certified products is undertaken by a totally private entity. From the UL web site "Underwriters Laboratories® is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing standards for safety for more than a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 20 billion UL Marks appearing on 66,000 manufacturers' products each year. UL's worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 68 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 102 countries." Energy Star Compliance should be handled by UL, not the EPA. Considering recent scandals the EPA simply isn't credible and this is but one more example.
"Science is about ego as much as it is about discovery and truth " - I said it, so sue me.
One of the main mechanisms in "Regulatory capture" is that in order to have competent regulators, they must be hired from the same skill pool as the people working in the industry.
So the main career path for those working at the watchdog agency is to work for one of the companies they're overseeing, or less commonly, the other direction. This will at least breed an atmosphere of "being on the same team", and also gives strong incentives to outright corruption.
i had a friend with a gasoline powered alarm clock. he started it up when we went to sleep. guess its no good, because no matter how loud it was, he never woke up.
I never understood how and why there is an energy star label on a computer ..... when you shut it down (and do not turn off the power at the powerpoint) it still uses power?
to code or not to code, that is the question.
So let's say there's two of us and we only need a 12 CU FT refrigerator, but I like beer a lot so I buy a 26 CU FT Energy Star fridge.
The standard tells me I did a good thing, but I know, deep inside, that I'm being an environmental bonehead.
I just bought the hybrid humvee of refrigerators, and I got a gold star for it.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
...it was not the EPA's job to evaluate the legitimacy of companies and their legitimacy-proving paperworks (DBA filings, articles of incorporation, etc.), nor make value judgments on the market demand for their products. We already have other government offices for that. Sounds like they grant Energy Star certs on a "self-report and spot-check" basis, which is unfortunate, but not at all uncommon (think GSA, many FCC certified device classes, the Census, your income tax...). If the GAO or those reporting on this are of the belief (as maybe they should be) that self-reporting is not the way to go, they probably need to change the rules to require testing by independent labs, as the FCC does with intentional radiators (radios). Focusing on the fact that they approved "illegitimate companies" or laughable products seems to be missing the point.
(For what it's worth, the "ordinary space heater with a featherduster attached" didn't seem much further out there than some ACTUAL, marketed products in this segment. There are plenty of shady companies out there happy to separate fools from their money, but again, it's the FTC, not the EPA, who is in charge of cracking down on them.)
Caveat Emptor is not a business model.
Well, I certainly hope someone goes to jail for this!
The designer of those websites, for a start. And I think the developers of this "SiteSpinner" tool are due for at the very least some heavy questioning, as well.
I'm a firefighter and I've seen these guys work. They sent someone out to test our 75 foot ladder -- and the guy spent two days with magnets, iron dust, and a damn magnifying glass going over every single inch of the metal -- he found half a dozen micro stress cracks, marked them, and we were able to have them welded and re-checked.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
I don't work for UL anymore, so I obviously do not speak for them, but I've seen their ladder testing and it's pretty neat.
My girlfriend still works for UL and regularly performs UL/NFPA 1901 inspections on new fire trucks as well and it's truly fascinating(to me anyway) to hear about how rigorously new fire trucks are tested.
You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
Sure, even a stopped (analog) clock is right twice a day, but a government programs are, by their nature, inherently corrupt, overpriced, unscientific, and dangerous to your and especially your children's freedoms. Only free competition of ideas (i.e. science / free market capitalism) can assure optimal results. Without the government regulation mafia jumping in front of every parade the marketplace emergence would naturally lead to multiple competing certification authorities, consumer interest publications, feedback sites, corporate "karma" wikis, etc, etc, etc - all keeping an eye on each-other (i.e. web of trust) without a single point of failure. Given enough eyeballs, all corruption is shallow!
(Signed: Alex Libman's sock-puppet.)
My fridge/freezer has a "star rating" label on it. This label says it draws 524Kwh per year under a specific set of test conditions and that it has a 2.5 star rating out of a possible 6 (more stars mean more energy efficient).
All fridges and freezers are tested to the same standard and are all given the same label (its required by law). Washing machines and clothes dryers also have these ratings as do air conditioners and other things.
Unlike Energy Star, its an actual rating of how energy efficient the device is. The consumers can choose to buy the one with more stars or the one with less stars. If the manufacturers game the system and bribe the testing agency (as would happen if this system was adopted in the US), it wont make a difference because everyone will be doing it therefore the "device A is more efficient than device B" information will be preserved.
I just wish they would extend the Star Ratings to the things they dont currently appear on like TV sets, computers and computer hardware, stereo systems, set top boxes, DVD/blu-ray players, PVRs, home theater, games consoles, electric fans and heaters, electric hot water heaters, electric ovens and cookers and vacuum cleaners.
Why do you suppose that the FDA "recalls" so many drugs after thousands have died and the scumbag lawyers run national commercials asking if you've ever taken [x] drug? Ever seen an FDA test lab? Me either. Ask around. Maybe someone will claim they have.
Wanna solve the health care problem... and every other problem in this country?
Get the feckless retards that are government the hell out of everything!
Government does nothing well and most of what it does today is unConstitutional for just that reason. The Founders were smarter than the last few generations.
If you trust government -for ANYTHING, you deserve what you get: slavery at best.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
lumen measurements are done with an integrating sphere:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrating_sphere
I have a refrigerator that I tested with a KillAWatt energy usage meter. The refrigerator came in at about 2x the energy usage of current models.
I decided to find out why it was so bad: Is the energy usage due to poor insulation, leaky doors, too many door opening events or a worn out compressor?
I eliminated "poor insulation" by scabbing a 2 foot x 4 foot piece of 2" foam onto one refrigerator wall and measuring the the "delta T" between the inside, outside and between the insulation and the cabinet. Some algebra with the surface area of the refrigerator convinced me the original insulation is excellent.
While programming an Arduino to measure how often and long the doors are open, a fellow from England mentioned his new refrigerator is really efficient because it has inner doors that prevent cold air from falling out when the door is opened.
This much work has persuaded me that Energy Star is a fraud because the testing standard for refrigerators probably does not measure the effect of opening the doors during the test.
Also, there is no direct email on the Department of Commerce web site to contact a technical specialist and get a clear explanation.
The path to reading the ASTM refrigerator energy consumption test description is encumbered. The test description is apparently not available for free public reading.
It will explode if you don't turn it off after 3 snoozes.
It's energy star is valued on the force of explosion.
Probably efficient to wake up an entire neighbourhood
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
So, I wonder who is auditing the auditors?
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
Maybe time for the government to create a Patent Accountability Office to get rid of ridicilous requests.
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
I'd rather not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
That's ok, doing so would screw the energy star of the baby anyway...
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
Just another example of how ineffective our large bureaucratic government is. Fraud, waste, and abuse. Every problem can be solved with more money and people right? Ugh.... Why can't we have a RIF amongst our government employees?
Companies which submit false information will be driven out of business by the natural splendor of the free market.
The GAO has got to be one of the best compartments of US government in all of recorded history. I'm continued to be awestricken and amazed at the number and quality of investigations and fact checking of government undertaken by this organization. Its one of those things that you just don't intuitively believe can really be possible.
...to project like that. Your entire rant could apply just as much to you, and whatever job you do, wherever and whatever it is.
I guess it wouldn't work for ladders for whatever reason, but testing aluminium joins etc for airplanes is much easier. you cover it in red dye, clean it off and then spray a white power onto the metal. It soaks up dye from the cracks in the metal highlighting the defects too small to see otherwise.
Or do I have to answer the question for you, fag?
The sheer volume of applicants makes it infeasible for a single bureaucracy to effectively test physical hardware.
Certainly, but there should at least be spot checks and the possibility of fining manufacturers, if consumers report inconsistencies. I would go even further, that if a manufacturer has been caught intentionally publishing incorrect data, multiple times, then they should lose all their energy star badges and then have to pay an Energy Star certified lab to prove their products are complaint.
You can test you appliances with devices such as 'Kill-A-Watt'. Maybe its even time that a web site was put together where people can list what readings they were getting during different activities?
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
I'm not sure what would work, only what I saw done. I will say that they were not just testing "joints" they tested every inch of that 75' ladder, finding the smallest little stress cracks you can imagine -- long before they had a chance to become safety issues.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln