Consumer Reports takes Energy Star ratings to task

Consumers squeezed by rising prices for gasoline and just about everything else now have something more to worry about:

Are those costly new appliances they're considering buying really as energy-efficient as the manufacturer and the federal government say they are?

The results of a Consumer Reports investigation published in the magazine's October issue indicate that the federal Energy Star program's "lax standards" and outdated testing protocols could be putting appliances on the energy-efficient list that don't qualify.

Energy Star, a voluntary program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), covers more than 50 product categories, from refrigerators to washers and dryers to air conditioners and dehumidifiers.

To qualify for the Energy Star rating, appliances and consumer electronics should use 10 to 25 percent less energy than the amount the Energy Department allows in the appropriate category.

Manufacturers test their own products, and there is no independent verification of the results, Consumer Reports says. The government depends on manufacturers to test their competitors' products, the article says, and "notify it of suspicious energy-use claims."

In a statement, EPA officials called Consumer Reports' findings misleading and said no one from the agency was interviewed for the article. The magazine says representatives of its publisher, Consumers Union, met in June with David E. Rodgers, an assistant Energy Department secretary for energy efficiency, and that it was conceded that "test procedures hadn't kept pace with technology."

Still, the EPA officials said, "the Consumer Reports article misses the basic point of the Energy Star program," which is "to help consumers find energy-efficient products that will cost-effectively help save them money and help them protect the environment."

Consumer Reports' comparative tests of five Energy Star-rated refrigerators found energy consumption would likely be far greater than what was claimed on their EnergyGuide labels, a problem that EPA officials acknowledged was valid.

"We agree this procedure should be examined, and that the Energy Star specification for refrigerators should be modified as necessary to ensure labeled products deliver promised savings," the EPA officials said.