If you're shopping for a new refrigerator, you might be tempted by the Samsung RFG237AA[WP], a cabinet-depth, French-door bottom-freezer that's loaded with features, including through-the-door ice and water, pullout shelves, and LED lights. At $2,300, the Samsung is a bit pricier than some comparable models, but then it's also Energy Star-qualified, meaning its annual operating costs will be low. Right? You would think so, based on the model's EnergyGuide label. But our product testers reached a different conclusion—and not just for the RFG237AA[WP].

Two other newly tested models—the Samsung RFG299AA[RS] and the Haier HBQ18JAD[W]—also appear to be using too much energy to qualify for their Energy Star, though the RFG237AA[WP] is the only one that might actually use more energy than is allowed by federal regulations.

If you feel like you've heard this one before, you have. Over the past few years, Consumer Reports has uncovered numerous instances where refrigerators and other appliances use more energy in our tests than what's indicated on their EnergyGuide label. (Read "Strengthen Energy Star standards" and "Energy savings not a sure thing," for examples.) Our energy-use tests are different from and tougher than the Department of Energy’s, so refrigerators routinely use about 20 percent more energy in our labs than what’s stated on the EnergyGuide label. But in these extreme cases, the energy-use discrepancies have been 40 percent or greater.

That's the case again with the new Samsung RFG237AA. According to its EnergyGuide label, this 22.5-cubic-foot model consumes 537 kilowatt-hours per year. But it used 826 kWh per year in our energy test, a 54 percent swing that could add hundreds of dollars to energy costs over the life of the unit. Even when we did a DOE-style test, the Samsung used 682 kWh, which is slightly higher than the federal maximum allowable energy consumption of 673 kWh for that type of refrigerator. Given that Energy Star-qualified models are supposed to be 20 percent more efficient than the federal standard, we doubt the Samsung qualifies.

The Samsung RFG299AA[RS], $2,600, is a 28.5-cubic-foot French-door bottom-freezer that is claimed to use 555 kWh per year, but we measured 883 kWh. The Haier HBQ18JAD[W], $750, is a 17.5-cubic-foot conventional bottom-freezer which consumed 639 kWh in our tests, compared with a claimed 442 kWh. When we ran our DOE-style testing, neither model appeared to violate the federal standard, but their Energy Star status is questionable.

It's worth noting that these three models were each manufactured prior to 2011, so they were not subjected to the Energy Star program's certification requirement, which took effect January 1, 2011. Under this new rule, energy-use claims must be confirmed by an approved third-party lab before a product can carry the Energy Star logo. The federal government has also announced that it will begin spot-testing certain major appliances, including refrigerators, by the end of the year to ensure compliance with Energy Star specifications.

Consumer Reports supports this tougher oversight of the Energy Star program, which we've been calling for since 2008, since it will help guarantee energy savings for consumers. And we will continue to make energy-use testing part of our overall evaluation of refrigerators, so that you can find models that perform the best while delivering the lowest operating cost.