Energy Star gone bad...

[zach]

Here are some quotes from an column I just read on the problems with Energy Star.

An article in the current issue of Consumer Reports magazine lambasts the federal Energy Star rating system as outdated and so riddled with loopholes that way too many greenhouse gas-guzzling appliances get qualified for the energy efficiency label.

TVs are tested in standby mode because the Energy Star standards are so old they were written for black-and-white sets.

This month’s Consumer Reports article looked at refrigerators, finding they consumed much more electricity than advertised when put through the nonprofit watchdog group’s “comparative energy tests, which are tougher than the Department of Energy's and better resemble how you use a refrigerator.” One model used more than twice the electricity claimed on its Energy Star label.

Here's the full story: The problem with Energy Star -The Green Blog - A Boston Globe blog on living Green in Boston

[Matt Johnson]

Scary. That makes you wonder what the "green" labling on so many of the products we use actually means.

[zach]

I think Energy Star is a good thing, it just needs to be updated/revamped. I know lobbyist have done harm to other labeling but I'm not sure about Energy Star.

Like the insane definition of Cage Free they use for eggs or labels like Made with 100% Organic Flour but nothing else in the product is organic. Deceptive marketing at it's best.