Energy Star is an efficiency program that has steered consumer choice

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (AACEE): Eliminating the Energy Star program from the deregulatory effort by the Trump administration

The Trump administration is moving to abolish the Energy Star program, which saves homeowners an average $450 a year. Steven Nadel, of the American Council for Energy Efficiency believes that getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a great way to raise families energy bills.

The latest move is part of the deregulatory effort by the administration. They’ve announced that they’re changing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prioritized fossil fuels.

“People recognize it right away, so they would be like ‘oh, it is Energy Star, so I should probably go with this one,'” said Francis Dietz, spokesperson with the trade association Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute.

Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, said the program enjoyed bipartisan support until recently. He stated that it promotes efficiency by tightening standards when a lot of products can meet label requirements.

Since its start, the program has reduced energy costs by more than $500 billion and prevented about 4 billion metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to its website. It’s possible to reduce pollution from appliances by using efficiency measures, but they can be a problem for the atmosphere. These pollutants can harm the heart and lungs, and cause other health issues.

Sarah said that cutting the program jeopardized the ability to meet U.S. energy demands, and also wreaked havoc on households.

Energy Star: The White House Addresses an “Energy Emergency,” President Donald J. Trump has ruled out repealing the Energy Star label

Department of Energy standards that set minimum efficiency requirements that products must meet to be legally sold differ from the Energy Star label, which is voluntary. In the 2000s, Congress directed the EPA and Department of Energy to run an energy-efficiency program and promote Energy Star.

The DOE did not comment on the changes, instead opting to give questions to the EPA. According to the program’s website, DOE’s role includes developing product testing procedures. The EPA is in charge of setting performance levels as well as making sure consumers can rely on the label.

The president believes efficiency standards result in products that cost more and are less effective and that they deny consumer choice. Trump has reversed rules restricting water flow for showerheads and other household appliances.

“For an administration who keeps claiming the country is facing an ‘energy emergency,’ Trump continues to attack any and all efforts aimed at saving energy through efficiency,” Xavier Boatright, deputy legislative director for clean energy and electrification at Sierra Club said in a statement. Fossil fuel industry uses wasted energy through inefficient Appliances as an excuse to sell more of their product and make more money on the backs of the American people

For $32 million a year, Energy Star helps American families save over 40 billion dollars on their annual energy bills, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. $350 is the return for every federal dollar invested.

The office of Radiation and indoor air quality are eliminated in a future organizational chart shared by Vaseliou. Energy Star falls under these departments, since Vaseliou did not respond to questions about it specifically.