Energy Star Program For Homes And Appliances Is On Trump's Chopping Block (npr.org)

Appliance manufacturers and home builders are in Washington, D.C., today to celebrate a popular energy efficiency program, even as it's slated for elimination in President Trump's proposed budget. NPR adds: You probably know the program's little blue label with the star -- the Environmental Protection Agency says 90 percent of U.S. households do. [...] The 25-year-old Energy Star program appears to be targeted simply because it's run by the federal government. It's one of 50 EPA programs that would be axed under Trump's budget plan, which would shrink the agency's funding by more than 30 percent. Critics of Energy Star say the government should get involved in the marketplace only when absolutely necessary. But that argument doesn't hold sway for the program's legions of supporters, which span nonprofits, companies and trade groups.

Comments

Re:It's pretty simple

[cayenne8]

Now, Energy Star isn't a safety standard, so it's not exactly critical, but it's still a great thing to have a common measuring stick for all to use.

While I'm generally in favor of having more information on product labels (especially food which I ingest), has anyone ever really used this Energy Star rating when choosing appliances?

I mean, I recently got a fridge. First thing I looked at was dimensions...what is the largest fridge I can get that will fit the space in my kitchen, and allow full access from the doors.

Next, I looked at those with ice maker and water access on the door.

I cook a lot, so I wanted to maximize my fridge space for food and hence, I opted for models that had ice makers in the door, rather than having the unit in the fridge taking up shelf space (french door with freezer below models).

With this I looked how the insides were cut up..opting for more shelf space vs too many drawers.

It happened to be a sale weekend (memorial day?) so I found my perfect model on sale delivered and installed for about $1K off normal regular price.

I've yet to see the "Energy Star" rating on this unit. I supposed it it were a coin flip between 2 units, I might give the Star rating a look and use it as a factor.

But if not that many people are using this and it would save 30% off a federal agency, then why keep it?