The U.S. government’s Energy Star program is in trouble. Despite all the media references it garners, the program is failing the American public and, without serious intervention, will collapse in on itself to become a black hole of irrelevance and wasted resources.
For those unfamiliar with the inner workings of Executive Branch agencies, it can be shocking to hear that agencies like the Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, and all the rest, are populated by regular people no different from you or I, and for whom ‘the office’ is just big, beaux arts building on the National Mall.
The difference between what I’ll call the real-world sector and the federal government is that in the federal government, politics, personal opinion, grudges, rivalries and all sorts of ugly human traits have a daily and direct effect on how business is done; not bottom line effectiveness. There’s also a deep difference between the government employees (IE: bureaucrats) who show up every day and try their best to get things done, and the political appointees whose time in their positions is evanescent (24 months is a long time for most mid-to-low level appointees) and who tend to create more chaos than calm. At least, that’s what I’ve seen over the last four years as an outside consultant.
I’m familiar with a number of the DC federal agencies, and have spent enough time in a few of them to actually get to know the ‘people on the ground’ and the issues at hand. One item that I believe warrants immediate attention by the new administration is the Energy Star program. Here’s why:
Energy Star is a program run jointly by EPA and DOE. The deal was that EPA would promote it and manage the brand, DOE would do testing on products and other ‘science’. It hasn’t worked out that way. There are TREMENDOUS (caps for effect) rivalry between the two agencies over who does what, says what, and has authority regarding Energy Star. As a result, the brand is losing gravitas and public resonance.
Consumer Reports has lambasted the Energy Star brand, saying that the rating system is outdated and so riddled with loopholes that way too many greenhouse gas-guzzling appliances get qualified for the energy efficiency label. In fact, CR has been hammering Energy Star. With good reason. When they looked at refrigerators, they found the appliances consumed much more electricity than advertised when put through the nonprofit watchdog group’s “comparative energy tests”, which are tougher than the Department of Energy's testing. One model used more than twice the electricity claimed on its Energy Star label. The rating system is a mess. The GAO even reported that TVs are tested in standby mode because the Energy Star standards are so old they were written for black-and-white sets.
The Energy Star program was begun in 1992. And what a great idea it is. Rate stuff, give consumers the info, and let the market do the rest.
But as Christine McDonald, author of Green, Inc, writes, “both Consumers Union and the GAO concluded that it no longer delivers on its promise to help consumers identify the most energy efficient products because the bar is set so low that most appliances qualify in some product categories. For instance, 70 percent of the dishwashers on the market met Energy Star standards, the GAO noted in its October 2007 report. Consumer Reports went so far as to suggest manufacturer input can dilute the standards”.
In addition, promotion of the label is a mish mash. DOE folks engage in some promotional outreach and programs, and EPA people do the same. The result is a disjointed, inconsistent communications program that does little to speak to consumers in a concise, helpful and reliable way. And don’t get me started on the on-product and in-store info. Have you ever tried to read an Energy Star label?
I am not saying that the dedicated folks at EPA or DOE are untalented or aren’t working hard to get the job done. I’m saying that the territoriality from within each agency is killing Energy Star. There are those—unnamed here—government bureaucrats and political appointees whose “mine mine mine” immaturity has impeded the smooth, successful operation of a brand and system that has tremendous value for the Unites States of America…if done right.
EPA and DOE are quite literally across the Mall from each other, but they might as well be on opposite sides of the country. The interaction between them is toxic. Whatever you hear to the contrary, believe me: It’s true. Especially when it comes to Energy Star.
How do we fix this p*$$*ng contest? I strongly urge the Obama administration to take Energy Star out of DOE and put it entirely in the hands of EPA. My friends at DOE will be quite cross with me for saying so, but DOE is not the place for the Energy Star brand to reside. And joint custody does not work.
(I recently had lunch with a long-time DOE staffer. He couldn’t agree more that Energy Star needs a stable home at EPA).
Give Energy Star to EPA, and push EPA to work with the national labs (Oak Ridge, Argonne, etc.) and independent operators to test and rank appliances. Give Energy Star some teeth; don’t diminish the rating system by setting low government standards. Create stringent metrics and give consumers the tools to make informed decisions.
And to EPA I say: redesign that damned Energy Star label, create a website that looks like something designed in the 21st century, not 1998, and tie in with retailers (online and brick, catalog and brick and mortar), the media and every partner you can find to give the Energy Star brand ubiquity.
Let’s do it fast, because the country needs energy efficiency, an energy efficiency industry, and energy efficient industry, now. A faded Energy Star is bad for us all.