Understanding the ENERGY STAR program

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You’ve likely seen the ENERGY STAR symbol on new appliances. Yet, you may never have fully understood what exactly it meant. ENERGY STAR is actually a voluntary program, co-managed by the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency, to enable individuals and businesses to reduce costs while also protecting the environment through greater energy efficiency strategies.
Since its inception, the ENERGY STAR program has helped American businesses and families save more than $450 billion on energy costs with more than 3.5 trillion kWh of electricity saved. Currently more than 800 utilities, state and local governments and nonprofits leverage ENERGY STAR in their efficiency programs.

ENERGY STAR Certification

To help consumers identify products that comply with ENERGY STAR requirements, the program places the ENERGY STAR label on products to represent savings, quality and performance. There are more than 75 residential and commercial ENERGY STAR product categories, and the market value of ENERGY STAR product sales tops more than $100 billion each year. Over 300 million Energy Star certified products were purchased in 2019, including light bulbs, HVAC equipment and kitchen appliances. According to ENERGYSTAR.gov, a typical household can save more than $575 each year on their energy bills by simply choosing products with this certification.

ENERGY STAR also offers new construction programs, working with builders, developers and manufactured housing plants. Last year, one out of every 12 single-family home was Energy Star certified. To receive this designation a home or apartment must be at least 10 percent more energy efficient than those simply built to code.

Of course, home solar, like ENERGY STAR, is a great way to minimize your use of energy. When used together, they can be a powerful combination to reduce your environmental footprint while also enabling you to save substantially on your energy costs. To learn more about how you can gain the maximum value of your ENERGY STAR appliances, call the experts at Cool Blew Solar today.