Building Technologies Program
 

DOE’s ENERGY STAR®

Product Portfolio 

EnErgy Star makes a major energy 

efficiency impact by transforming 

building technologies markets. The 

program, with its widely recognized 

symbol, encourages manufacturers 

to make and consumers to buy more 

energy efficient products. DOE is 

also exploring expansion to include 

renewable energy products such as 

solar panels and wind turbines. 

What Is ENERGY STAR? 

n A recognized, trusted symbol 

n A voluntary public/private

 partnership 

More than three-quarters of U.S. consumers 

recognize the ENERGY STAR symbol as 

a trustworthy designation of an energyefficient product 

The ENERGY STAR label appears on a wide range of products, including lighting, appliances, 

heating and air conditioning equipment, windows, and many other energy-saving products. 

Consumer recognition of the ENERGY STAR label is highly effective in transforming markets to 

more energy efficient building products. 

n A marketing platform 

n A program jointly managed by the 

 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 

 and U.S. Environmental Protection 

 Agency (EPA) 

ENERGY STAR is a national program 

that helps businesses and consumers 

identify energy-efficient products and 

practices that save energy, save money, 

and protect the environment. ENERGY 

STAR is recognized by over 76 percent 

of U.S. consumers and is best known 

as a product label designating energyefficient products. ENERGY STAR 

also promotes systems-based or “whole 

building” efficiency in new and existing 

homes and commercial buildings. In 

addition, ENERGY STAR coordinates 

national campaigns, and provides 

partnership opportunities, consumer 

materials, and online tools to reduce 

our energy use. 

Since the inception of the ENERGY 

STAR program, the market share 

of efficient products has increased 

dramatically, resulting in significant 

energy savings. With the help of 

ENERGY STAR, Americans saved 

enough energy in 2008 alone to avoid 

greenhouse gas emissions equivalent 

to the emissions from 29 million cars, 

while saving $19 billion on their 

utility bills. 

The Products 

The government-backed ENERGY 

STAR label appears on products in 

more than 60 categories, including: 

n Home appliances 

n Windows 

n Lighting 

n Heating and cooling products 

n Home electronics 

DOE is responsible for clothes 

washers, refrigerators, refrigeratorfreezers, dishwashers, room air 

conditioners, water heaters, windows, 

doors, skylights, solid state lighting, 

and CFLs. DOE establishes energy 

efficiency criteria for these products 

in consultation with manufacturers 

and other partners. Products that have 

earned the ENERGY STAR label are 

generally 10 to 30 percent more energy 

efficient than standard models. DOE 

updates efficiency criteria regularly to 

ensure the label is associated with only 

the most efficient products. 

Partnering for Success 

ENERGY STAR is one of the 

government’s most successful 

voluntary public/private partnerships. 

The program relies on national and 

regional partners to promote energy 

efficiency and educate consumers about 

how to make smart energy choices. 
Building Technologies Program
 

ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers 

offer up to 50% savings in energy and 

water over conventional models 

The ENERGY STAR partner network 

includes more than 15,000 public 

and private-sector organizations that 

promote energy efficiency. DOE has 

forged successful partnerships with 

more than 1,100 retailers that operate 

over 27,500 storefronts and reach 

millions of customers a week, as well 

as all the major manufacturers of 

appliances, windows, and lighting. In 

addition, DOE partners with about 600 

utilities and regional organizations, 

known as “energy efficiency program 

sponsors,” that serve 75 million 

households and offer promotions 

and incentives to consumers for 

ENERGY STAR products. This 

network of providers has spent more 

than $1 billion to date promoting 

ENERGY STAR nationwide. Every 

year, DOE and EPA recognize the 

accomplishments of program partners 

with ENERGY STAR awards. 

Home Performance 

By training contractors and working 

closely with retailers, ENERGY STAR 

is making it easier for homeowners to 

improve the efficiency of their homes 

with comprehensive energy audits and 

effective improvements. Twenty-seven 

partners in 22 states currently operate 

Home Performance programs. 

Consumer Outreach 

Each year, DOE organizes national 

promotions for ENERGY STAR 

qualified appliances and lighting to 

raise consumer awareness of efficient 

products and practices. Manufacturers, 

retailers, utilities, and other partners 

coordinate marketing activities 

during each campaign using common 

messages and creative materials 

developed by DOE. 

n Lighting. Operation Change Out 

— THE MILITARY CHALLENGE 

is a joint effort of DOE and the 

U.S. Department of Defense. It is 

the first national, military-focused 

energy efficiency campaign 

to encourage servicemen and 

women to replace their inefficient, 

incandescent light bulbs with 

ENERGY STAR qualified compact 

fluorescents. In total, 359,260 

energy-efficient light bulbs were 

replaced with compact fluorescents, 

for a lifetime energy savings of 

nearly $11 million. The base retail 

stores that displayed the posters 

noted a 172- to 290-percent 

increase in sales of ENERGY 

STAR qualified light bulbs. 

n Appliances. ENERGY STAR’s 

Make a Cool Change Campaign 

asks consumers to recycle their 

old, inefficient refrigerators and 

freezers; ENERGY STAR’s 

Make a Clean Change Campaign 

encourages consumers to recycle 

their old, inefficient washing 

machines. The ENERGY STAR 

label is central to both campaigns. 

Partner Tools & Resources 

n ENERGY STAR Web site 

 (www.energystar.gov) 

n Quantity Quotes Web site 

 (www.quantityquotes.net) 

n Qualified product lists 

n Product savings calculators 

n Store locator, rebate finder, 

database for market and program 

coordination 

n Marketing materials and ENERGY 

STAR images for download 

Transforming Markets 

ENERGY STAR was created to 

transform markets toward greater 

energy efficiency by encouraging 

partnerships with manufacturers, 

retailers, and utilities; promoting 

ongoing improvement in products; and 

educating consumers. The ENERGY 

STAR label now appears on over 60 

categories of products. 

Recently, DOE has taken important 

steps to address two major markets. 

For domestic water heating, ENERGY 

STAR recognized niche categories 

of water heater products as higher 

performing, creating new opportunities 

for manufacturers to develop and 

market advanced technologies. Water 

heating is the average household’s 

second largest energy expenditure 

behind heating and cooling. Now 

ENERGY STAR labels five kinds of 

advanced water heater technologies. 

In the rapidly developing field of 

solid state lighting (commonly called 

LEDs), ENERGY STAR is pushing 

the market by labeling products 

that will perform at least as well as 

incandescents and fluorescents. As 

LED technology improves, more LED 

lighting products will be added to the 

ENERGY STAR program. 

For More Information 

Contact the EERE Information Center 

at 1-877-EERE-INF or 1-877-337-3463 

or visit www.buildings.energy.gov/ 

energystar.html or www.energystar.gov. 

Prepared by NREL, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department 

of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 

operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. 

DOE/GO-102009-2844 • May 2009 

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 

50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste.