Bringing you a prosperous future where energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable

Look for the ENERGY STAR Label

The typical American household

spends $1,300 a year in energy bills. 

By choosing products that carry the

ENERGY STAR label, consumers can save

up to 30 percent on their energy bills

without sacrificing features, style, 

or comfort.

U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Energy-Efficient Choices 

for Businesses and Consumers

Saving Energy and Money, and

Protecting the Environment

By promoting energy-efficient products,

homes, and buildings, ENERGY STAR®

reduces energy use while helping 

businesses and consumers save money

and protect the environment. Besides

lowering energy bills and reducing the

pollution from power generation, 

ENERGY STAR helps meet America’s energy

needs and strengthen the U.S. economy.

In 2001 alone, ENERGY STAR saved 

80 billion kilowatt hours and more 

than 10,000 megawatts of peak power—

enough energy to power 10 million

homes in the United States for one year.

The cumulative energy savings of all

ENERGY STAR qualified appliances sold 

to date could light all the homes in

Washington, DC, for 40 years. 

How It Works

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary labeling 

program, jointly managed by the U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) and the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA). The ENERGY STAR label helps 

consumers easily identify highly efficient

products. This government-backed 

symbol for energy efficiency appears 

on products in over 30 categories. 

Products that have earned the ENERGY

STAR label are at least 10 percent more

energy efficient than standard models. 

By choosing only ENERGY STAR qualified

products over the next decade,

consumers, businesses, and organizations

could cut the nation’s annual energy 

bill by about $200 billion.

The backbone of ENERGY STAR is its 

partners. ENERGY STAR works with 

more than 7,000 public- and privatesector organizations to promote energy

efficiency. DOE has forged successful

partnerships with all the major

manufacturers of appliances, windows,

and compact fluorescent lamps; national 

and regional retailers; state and local 

governments; and more than 100 utilities

that serve about half of U.S. households.

Among other things, partners help the

government establish energy efficiency

criteria, label products, and work to 

promote ENERGY STAR to businesses 

and consumers nationwide.
A Strong Energy Portfolio 

for a Strong America

Energy efficiency and clean,

renewable energy will mean a

stronger economy, a cleaner

environment, and greater energy

independence for America. Working

with a wide array of state, community,

industry, and university partners, the

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office 

of Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy invests in a diverse portfolio 

of energy technologies.

ENERGY STAR Partners 

Make the Difference

Today, 4 in 10 Americans recognize the

ENERGY STAR label as the national symbol

for energy efficiency. This level of

recognition has been achieved through

the dynamic efforts of ENERGY STAR

partners working to make a difference. 

Seeded with Federal funding, privatesector partners have invested 

$280 million since 1996 to promote

ENERGY STAR qualified appliance and

lighting products.

• In 2001, ENERGY STAR retail partners 

sold more than 1.7 million ENERGY

STAR-labeled appliances. Many retail

partners also support a wide range of

ENERGY STAR promotional activities—

from musical concerts to radio ads 

to in-store displays and appliance

rebates—to educate consumers about

the benefits of ENERGY STAR.

• Manufacturers can expand their 

bottom line by producing products

that qualify for the ENERGY STAR label. 

A number of manufacturers have

redesigned their products to achieve

maximum energy and even water 

savings. ENERGY STAR-labeled clothes

washers, for example, use 35 to 50 

percent less water and 50 percent less

energy per load than conventional

washers. An ENERGY STAR qualified

refrigerator saves on average 355 

kilowatt hours per year compared to 

a ten-year-old model—enough energy

to light the average household for over

3 months—and cut a household’s 

electric bills by $28 to $57 a year. 

• Today, there are more than 100 

manufacturers of ENERGY STAR

qualified compact fluorescent light

bulbs (CFLs). With advanced

technology, CFLs use 75 percent less

energy than a standard incandescent

bulb and last up to 10 times longer. 

• Over 350 manufacturers produce

ENERGY STAR qualified windows and

window components. If all residential

windows in the United States were

replaced with ENERGY STAR qualifying

models, the nation would save $134

billion in energy costs over the next 

15 years. ENERGY STAR qualified 

windows can save 15 percent on 

a household’s total energy bill.

Canadian Partnerships Expand

Recognition of ENERGY STAR Label

ENERGY STAR is now an international

symbol for energy efficiency. Through 

its partnership with Natural Resources

Canada, ENERGY STAR is helping Canadian

consumers make the right choices to 

save money, save energy, and protect 

the environment.

March 2003

Energy-Efficient Choices for Businesses and Consumers

For more information, visit www.energystar.gov or call 1-800-DOE-3732