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Energy Star Program Certifies 15 Out of 20 Bogus Products

Posted by timothy on from the so-have-no-fears-about-govt-insurance dept.

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."

11 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. Like patents by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The sheer volume of applicants makes it infeasible for a single bureaucracy to effectively test physical hardware.

    1. Re:Like patents by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I suspect one of three things(or conceivably some combination):

      Regulatory capture: Regulatory entities frequently(out of a mixture of lobbying and the human social processes that come with working together), frequently start to identify with the entities they regulate. It's like Stockholm Syndrome for bureaucracies. Either because you fear the lobbying clout of people upset with your decisions, or because you really don't want to be "not a team player", you start getting really softball regulation.

      Bad incentive structure: Defining good metrics for productivity is hard. Defining bad ones is easy. It would be totally believable that, either by design or in practice, the guy who approves 10 products in a day gets more brownie points than the guy who denies 10, or carefully researches 5.

      Intentional brokenness: A common(and quite sensible) defensive mechanism used by entities or industries that fear they will face conditions harmful to their interests(either regulation, consumer backlash, or both) is to pre-emptively "show their cooperation" by collaborating with their friends in legislature, or in "objective 3rd party" organizations produced for the purpose, to establish carefully broken softball standards that strongly resemble whatever reform they feared; but have little or none of the punch.

    2. Re:Like patents by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, I can't think of a single seal of approval, or certification, that means anything.

      I'll expand your mind then. Try the UL and the NFPA seals and listings.

      Of course if something is not up to spec (lets say a manufacturer certified with one material and used another in production), then most people have a right to sue the manufacturers for not following the standards they were certified under as well as it being known that the problem wasn't the certification but the production afterward.

    3. Re:Like patents by Idarubicin · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, I can't think of a single seal of approval, or certification, that means anything.

      Underwriters Laboratories.

      --
      ~Idarubicin
    4. Re:Like patents by digitalunity · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not sure, but sumdumass is entirely correct.

      OSHA runs the rigidly enforced Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory program for product safety certification program, including companies such as UL, ETL and CSA who routinely test products for compliance with UL, CSA, NFPA and FCC testing. For an additional fee, I'm sure these companies would be happy to provide energy efficiency ratings as well.

      As a part of the certification program for most companies, manufacturers receive regular inspections to continue using the UL, ETL and CSA certification marks to verify that the products that they make continue to comply with the requirements originally used to establish conformity to nationally recognized product safety standards.

      Once a certification is established, manufacturers cannot modify their product designs in ways that affect the safety of the product without a recertification review.

      --
      You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
  2. Re:So, its a marketing label only by mysidia · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ah, but they are energy efficient.............. compared to a short circuit, or a 100 ohm resistor in parallel with the device.

  3. Re:Lawl. by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pretty much every company bigger than 10-20 employees has some sort of auditing system in place. Auditing is a good practice, and catches things such as this -- the only difference with the government is that audits are made public.

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  4. Re:Never, ever, ever, ever trust the government by PineGreen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This kind of comments make me want to return to Europe. I've been living in US for a couple of years now, I have a 6 figure salary and you know what: I hate paying so little in taxes. Because you get what you pay for. In USA you have small government, no taxes and hence everyone gets routinely screwed up by private sector: I have never paid so much in telecommunications, so much in healthcare costs for the shittiest service ever and I just punctured tire on my audi last week because of a massive pothole on a *freeway*. But as long as you get screwed by private sector everyone is happy. And then because one gov service is bad, everybody starts screaming big government is the root of all evil. For fuck sake, have you people ever tried trains in germany or healthcare in UK? USA could have been such a good country, food can be so amazing in NY and multiculturalism beats everybody else, but if people were just a little bit more sensible brained....

  5. Re:Never, ever, ever, ever trust the government by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Informative

    As somebody who works for the government, I take your comment as a personal insult.

    If anything, the efficiency of the government is greater than private industry, thanks to the intense level of scrutiny we're put through. (If anything, the extensive accountability measures that we have to undergo are the one thing that hinders our efficiency)

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  6. Re:Never, ever, ever, ever trust the government by Fujisawa+Sensei · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    That's because the free market Republicans and Libertarians want to make sure the government can't do anything; because the market is self regulating.

    When the head of the SEC doesn't believe in regulation, you can be certain that very little will be regulated.

    --
    If someone is passing you on the right, you are an asshole for driving in the wrong lane.
  7. gasoline alarm clock by gomatt · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.