Members of Congress Call on Obama Administration to Save Energy Star

Proposed Rule Changes for Windows & Skylights Harmful to Consumers and the Environment

Thursday, April 18, 2013 — A bipartisan group of members of Congress have requested that the Obama Administration “reexamine the proposed ENERGY STAR specifications for windows, doors, and skylights to ensure that they are consistent with the guiding principles of the [ENERGY STAR] program.”
 
“Members of Congress are raising the same concerns that more than 15,000 Americans have raised over the last week through the Coalition for Home Energy Efficiency,” said Sherry Delaney, the Coalition’s executive director. 
 
The ENERGY STAR program has been successful in helping consumers identify energy efficient products that are affordable and provide a reasonable return on investment.  But a proposed new standard for windows & skylights, version 6, breaks with the ENERGY STAR program’s original mission and guiding principles.
 
Raising concerns about the proposed new rules departing from the successful program’s original mission, members of Congress pointed to the impact on the environment and consumers: “Historically, this program has been guided by a balance of energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and product performance … If the ENERGY STAR program moves to a standard that fails to properly consider cost-effectiveness as criteria, we are concerned that the result could be significant cost increases, longer payback periods, and a missed opportunity to capture energy savings.”
 
Pointing to concern for the program’s continued viability, members of Congress stated: “We believe the new standards under development … fail to consider the cost-benefit ratio and payback period for consumers.  In short, the proposed standards would remove the economic incentive for consumers to purchase energy efficient products.”
 
“ENERGY STAR is a voluntary government program that has worked exactly as designed for two decades, saving consumers and businesses nearly $230 billion on utility bills and preventing more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Delaney. “We don’t think the successful ENERGY STAR program should be changed to benefit just wealthy Americans.”
 
The Congressional letter was drafted and circulated by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), a leader on energy efficiency issues in the 113th Congress, and co-signed by a bipartisan group of members of Congress from around the country.
 
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The Coalition for Home Energy Efficiency is a coalition of citizens, manufacturers, and retailers who are fighting to preserve and protect the ENERGY STAR program and the success it has achieved over twenty years in environmental protection and consumer savings.  Learn more at: CoalitionforEnergyEfficiency.org.

Contact Information

Sherry Delaney

Executive Director

Coalition for Home Energy Efficiency

(1) 703.508.6264

Contact via E-mail