Energy Star: A Bright Idea for a Sustainable Future
By Marc Smith
The ENERGY STAR program was initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992. Many people will remember first seeing the ENERGY STAR 1011:0 (which is now recognized by more than 40% of the American public) on computers, as this was the original purpose of the program. But the program has expanded over the years and is no longer only the standard for rating energy efficient computers, but now encompasses over 35 product categories. From the home to the workplace, ENERGY STAR is making a huge impact on how America becomes more energy efficient.
Thousands of organizations have partnered with the E.P.A. to help the ENERGY STAR program succeed, including 2,000 active home building
companies. ENERGY STAR approval has reached more than 20% in several housing markets and the E.P.A. is focusing on expanding the program in growing markets like California, New England, and the midwest. Houses can be deemed ENERGY STAR efficient through combinations of retrofitting,
like installing extra insulation, special window screens, and insulating types of windowpanes and the installation of energy efficient appliances.
One-third of the top 100 home builders are ENERGY STAR partners and the E.P.A. has found ways to reduce builders' costs when testing homes for the stringent ENERGY STAR guidelines, providing verification to the homeowners at a low cost to the builders. The E.P.A. is also 'Working with the manufactured housing industry to insure that more of these are ENERGY STAR efficient. The goal set by the E.P.A. to have at least 500,000 ENERGY STAR rated homes was met by the year 2006.
The E.P.A. also partners with organizations around the country to provide a new home retrofit program called "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR." This program allows trained professionals to provide homeowners with detailed home energy audits and make recommendations that improve energy efficiency and comfort. At the homeowner's request, these organizations can also make the recommended improvements. The work performed by these home performance contractors is then quality controlled by the sponsoring organization. The E.P.A. has expanded this program to more than 20 areas of the country.
While Americans have purchased over 1 billion ENERGY STAR qualified products, the residential building sector may provide the most sizeable opportunity for the program's success. This sector consists of over 100 million households which contribute about 17% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the residential housing sector offers potential energy savings in the range of 25-30% compared with current consumption. Houses that use less energy can save the owners' money in the long run without jeopardizing modern comforts and initial affordability while also helping humanity move towards a cleaner environment and a brighter future.
Energy efficiency is a realistic way to begin the path towards sustainable energy consumption. Energy efficiency starts at home and the ENERGY STAR program has made this an easy place to begin. By building or buying an ENERGY STAR approved home, the investing party will not only see monetary gains and long term savings, but will also receive peace of mind knowing that we are all in this together and anyone can make a difference.
