With so many products now bearing the Energy Star label, wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to easily figure out which were the most efficient? Now you can do just that, with the announcement yesterday by the EPA of the new Energy Star “Most Efficient” product designation.
Products that receive the Most Efficient designation demonstrate exceptional and cutting-edge efficiency performance that environmentally-minded consumers and early adopters value. The Most Efficient recognition will represent approximately the top five percent of models on the market in the following categories:
- clothes washers
- heating and cooling equipment – furnaces, central air conditioners, ground source heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps
- televisions
- refrigerator-freezers
For example, a typical Energy Star 42″ flat panel HD television uses 45% less energy than a non-Energy Star model. One of the just-announced “most efficient” models uses 70% less energy than a non-Energy Star model.
Lists of the first products to be designated “most efficient” – televisions and clothes washers – are available now, with the other categories soon to follow. Bookmark this Energy Star site to check out the initial “most efficient” products and return to it when you’re planning to buy.
Wondering about the impact of the Energy Star program? According to the EPA, last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to annual emissions of 33 million vehicles.
