A mutli-tiered ENERGY STAR label? According to a recent press release by the EPA and DOE partnership, ENERGY STAR has begun the process of targeting “early adopters” of a “super star” label or Top Tier of highly efficient products.
It appears ENERGY STAR has listened to recent critics who call to question the program’s “high standard” when more than half the products in a given product category qualify for the label.
Just how the highest tiered products will be determined has not yet been decided. It might be the top 5% in energy efficient performance for a product category, or it could simply be a set number of products at the top of the program’s qualifying list.
It’s interesting to note the results of a survey of consumers that asked for feedback on this new “super star” label’s name. Options like “Best in Class” and “Top Tier” were not well received, while “Most Efficient” or “Maximum Efficiency” were. I’m not sure about “Maximum Efficiency.” If I saw that on a label I’d think the appliance used no energy at all. What about “Brightest Star?” “Shining Star?”
What would you call the next level of ENERGY STAR labeled appliances? How would you choose them?
