In a U.S survey of metropolitan regions with energy-efficient buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, Los Angeles once again tops the chart with largest number of energy-efficient buildings. In U.S, there are around 9,000 ENERGY STAR buildings, from which the most numbers belong to LA which is 293. The second place is acquired by Washington D.C, with 204 buildings. But the survey is not only limited to buildings, the U.S. government is developing plans to test all Energy Star products to ensure they meet efficiency standards. The motive of the Obama’s administration is to improve the energy efficiency of homes and appliances to save families money.
The calculation will also include how many commercial structures in 2009 earned the agency’s Energy Star rating, which is given to buildings that perform in the top 25% of similar buildings nationwide. Eligibility includes 13 types of structures such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, retail stores and supermarkets. Many Energy Star household appliances carry yellow tags that indicate how much energy they use, based often on manufacturers’ claims. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, which jointly run the Energy Star program, plan to test all products seeking the rating. The consumers are seeking federal rebates for Energy Star products as part of a $300 million “cash for appliances” program this year. Recently, the EPA and the Department of Energy, which together run the 18 year old Energy Star program, test some, but not all products bearing the famous blue logo. For many items, it relies on manufacturers’ claims and only tests if complaints arise.
In 2009, the Energy Star program said that its products saved energy to lower utility bills by $17 billion and to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from 30 million cars. But still, Energy Star has lost some of its fame and popularity, because it’s not updating its criteria often enough. As a result, it says that too many products in some categories bear the logo, rendering it almost meaningless.
Tags: department of energy, efficiency standards, energy efficient buildings, energy star buildings, energy star program, energy star rating, environmental protection agency, greenhouse gas emissions, household appliances, lower utility bills, office buildings