What is ENERGY STAR?
ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy dedicated to saving money and protecting the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
The EPA introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning with computers and monitors, the ENERGY STAR label has now expanded to cover 60 product categories including major appliances, office equipment, lighting, and home electronics.
Additionally, ENERGY STAR has guidelines for energy efficiency in buildings, including:
- Guidelines for energy management and building design for commercial, municipal, and industrial buildings
- ENERGY STAR qualified new homes
- Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, which provides protocols by which homeowners can improve energy performance as well as comfort and safety of their existing homes.
RATIONALE
Given that ENERGY STAR is a government based program, it provides consumers with a recognized and trusted label for qualified appliances, homes and commercial buildings. Furthermore, ENERGY STAR often serves as the baseline program for many residential green building programs. Additionally, ENERGY STAR provides very specific guidelines for aiding energy managers of commercial, municipal, and industrial buildings for improving energy efficiency.
EFFORT REQUIRED
ENERGY STAR appliances and lighting are commonly found in department and hardware stores. ENERGY STAR® qualified products can be easily found online.
ENERGY STAR qualified homes must undergo a process of third-party verification by a certified energy rater. Included in this verification process are pre-drywall and final inspections using a thermal bypass checklist, as well as diagnostic testing using a blower door and duct blaster to determine building envelope and duct work efficiency. Homes are then rated using energy modeling software and assigned a Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS) index from 0 to 100, with 100 being equal to the energy performance of a home built to code, and zero being a home that uses no purchased energy. Each point above or below 100 represents a 1% deviation from the energy performance of a code home. ENERGY STAR qualified new homes must obtain at least a HERS index of 85, which is 15% better than code.
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR requires existing homes to be inspected for energy performance, durability, and combustion safety issues by a qualified Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor. Homeowners who follow the prioritized recommendations for improvement identified by performance contractors can expect to save 20% or more on their annual energy bills.
ENERGY STAR® also offers guidelines for energy management that can assist commercial, municipal, and industrial buildings in improving their energy and financial performance while distinguishing their organization as a sustainability leader.
BENEFITS
- ENERGY STAR is a well recognized standard for energy efficiency. In 2008, national awareness of ENERGY STAR increased to 70% of consumers.
- Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2008 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 29 million cars — all while saving $19 billion on their utility bills.
- The typical household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills. With ENERGY STAR, savings can represent one-third of that, about $700 per year.
- Products in more than 60 categories are eligible with ENERGY STAR certification. They use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment.
RISKS
Although ENERGY STAR building certification provides researched and federally backed guidelines for building and designing efficient buildings, there are other green building programs that contain more rigorous, region-specific requirements for certification than ENERGY STAR. While ENERGY STAR is a progressive choice for consumers, builders and designers alike, it may be a less comprehensive option than other programs available for sustainable building design and certification.
ACTION AGENTS
Federal, state, and local governments, as well as private entities such as utilities, can play a role in creating incentives for new home buyers to demand ENERGY STAR qualified products and homes, or for existing home owners to have their homes assessed through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. These incentives can be in the form of rebates, coupons, or tax incentives to offset the cost of Energy Star products, construction or retrofits. Similar incentives can be created for commercial, industrial, or education facilities. Government officials can create mandates, such as requiring ENERGY STAR products to be installed in public facilities requiring all new homes in a municipality to be ENERGY STAR qualified.
Builders and designers are attracted to the ENERGY STAR program because it offers a marketing advantage for their buildings over the average new-built home or commercial building by guaranteeing a more efficient, comfortable, and durable product that saves money and protects the environment.
Energy raters and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors help to sell the ENERGY STAR program by engaging builders, designers and home owners about the benefits of purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified products, homes and, for existing homes, following Home Performance with ENERGY STAR improvements.
COSTS
ENERGY STAR distinguishes energy efficient products which, although they may cost more to purchase than standard models, will recoup initial costs in lower energy bills within a reasonable amount of time.
An ENERGY STAR qualified new home may have a higher initial cost compared to a comparable home without the energy-efficient features. However, lower utility bills each month are usually more than enough to offset any increase in mortgage costs. Further, ENERGY STAR financing partners offer special mortgages called energy efficient mortgages (EEMs) for buyers of ENERGY STAR qualified new homes.
Any change to an existing facility, such as the adjustment, connection, or disconnection of equipment.A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. Greenhouse gases are a part of the Earth's atmosphere and are both naturally occurring and the result of human chemical processes. The most common greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluourocarbons. These gases trap heat and thus contribute to the warming of the planet. See also CFCS and GREENHOUSE EFFECT.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
