ENERGY STAR is a voluntary government-backed program dedicated to helping individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. The ENERGY STAR mark is the national symbol for energy efficiency, making it easy for consumers and businesses to identify high-quality, energy-efficient products, homes, and commercial and industrial buildings. ENERGY STAR distinguishes what is efficient/better for the environment without sacrificing features or performance. Products that earn the ENERGY STAR mark prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For purposes of this survey, the questions answered will be limited to ENERGY STAR products.
Learn more: ENERGY STAR: USA website
| ENERGY STAR: USA entry at Wikipedia
Standard is available online: Energy Star: USA Standard, and is reviewed as needed.
Number of standards 60 Adapted for regional / national / local conditions Yes Standards in development 15 Standards in revision 0 Performance requirements YesPerformance requirements: Product specifications become more stringent over time as products become more efficient.
Standards in development: New: Laboratory grade refrigerators and freezers, pre-rinse spray valves, uninterruptible power supplies, data center storage, small network equipment, and climate controls. Revised: Commercial hot food holding cabinets, commercial ice makers, commercial fryers, commercial dishwashers, servers, battery chargers, set-top boxes, game consoles, furnaces
Ecolabel addresses these stages:
Supply-chain phases Mining / Extraction → Processing / Manufacturing → Commodity Production → Transportation / Logistics → Trade / Retail → End / Consumer Use → Product Recovery / RecyclingSupply-chain phases: Commercial and industrial ENERGY STAR program addressing supply chain.
Ecolabel addresses these issues:
Social attributes
Unknown
Environmental attributes
Energy - Use / Efficiency, Material use, Toxics, Water Use
Other environmental attributes: Evaluating possible consideration of life cycle carbon. Currently consider water in water using products, toxics, quality/efficacy, noise, materials (require double sided printing) in select products where quality consumer experience calls for it.
Tracks environmental/social impacts
Yes, regularly
Mutual recognition:
Recognizes as equivalent
Recognized as equivalent by
80 PLUS, TCO Development, EPEAT, ENERGY STAR: Canada
Standard(s) developed / managed by
ENERGY STAR follows an open and transparent stakeholder process with EPA leading the specification revision
Standard-setting norm(s) followed
Other
Standard-setting process
Not open and consensus-based
External stakeholders involved in standard-setting
Companies, Consumer Associations, Customers, Experts / Consultants, Foundations, Governmental Agencies / Representatives, Industry Associations, International NGOs, National NGOs, Producers, Research & Academic, Suppliers, Other
Standard-setting norm(s) followed: Open stakeholder process
Stakeholders: Utilities
Conformity with ENERGY STAR: USA's standard is verified by our own organization (second party).
Verifiers accredited
Not applicable
Frequency of ongoing audits
Random / Surprise
Certification / registration required
Applicants register for the ecolabel in order to use the label (but certification is not required)
Public audit / assessment reports
Yes
Chain-of-custody data
No
Corrective action reports issued
Other
Field site visit(s)
No
Duration of certification
Other/comment
Specific metrics and data
Yes
Time to achieve certification / registration
Other
Time series data
Not required
Dispute resolution process
Unknown
Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification
Required; done by an independent organization (third party)
Duration of certification: Can use the label as long as the product continues to meet the current specification. When a new set of requirements (specification) takes effect, all products that can not meet the new requirements must discontinue labeling immediately and they are dropped from the ENERGY STAR qualified product list.
Time to achieve certification / registration: Varies depending on the product - can range from less than 1 week to one month
Corrective action reports issued: ENERGY STAR will not allow a product to qualify if it does not meet the specifications. If through the EPA or DOE verification process a product fails to meet requirements, mandatory corrective actions are required.
Name
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Type Government
Address 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NWYear est. 1992 Member of Unknown Funding sources Other
Phone +1 888 782 7937 Email info@energystar.gov
Target audience(s)
This ecolabel certifies
Product categories this ecolabel applies to
Other categories: Energy consuming products, homes, and commercial and industrial buildings
Where this ecolabel is found
Has issued its ecolabel in
Unknown
RT @SCScertified: USDA announces new procedures to boost enforcement of #organic standards http://ow.ly/2ycuH
Subscribe to our mailing list for occasional updates.
Did we miss one? Suggest an ecolabel.
Last updated: 7 July 2010
Ecolabel Index, the global directory of ecolabels, is brought to you by Big Room Inc.
Big Room is a B Corp, which is also coordinating a global application for the Dot Eco (.eco) internet extension.
© 2010 Big Room Inc. All rights reserved.
Follow @ecolabels on Twitter.