The Super Star program is one way the EPA and DOE can address concerns over Energy Star's qualifying standards. As we called for in our October 2008 report "Energy Star has Lost Some Luster," Energy Star must update its standards more consistently to ensure that only the most efficient products in a category qualify for the label. (Read more about this issue in "By the Numbers: DOE Inspector General Audit IDs Energy Star Issues.")

Why the buzz? While Energy Star has made a major impact on appliance efficiency and on the environment since its 1992 launch, a Super Star designation might motivate manufacturers to make their appliances even more efficient. There's a high level of consumer awareness of this federal program and a cachet and, likely, increased sales that come with the Energy Star label, and a Super Star could make energy-efficient appliances even more appealing to buyers.

The federal government's Super Star program would be nested within the existing Energy Star program, placing it under EPA oversight with support from DOE. It would target the top 5 percent of products in a given category, unlike the top 25 percent Energy Star is supposed to encompass. (Many more products than the top 25 percent in a category often qualify.)

The proposed approach is not unique. In Japan's Top Runner Program, the most efficient products on the market set the standard that others must catch up to. Similarly, the European Union's Top Ten Program identifies the 10 most efficient models in several consumer product categories, including appliances, cars, electronics, and lighting. (The image, right, shows a current generic version of the European Union's energy label, akin to this country's EnergyGuide label. The EU recently announced that it will modify its labeling system to add A+, A++, and even A+++ to the existing A-to-G scale.)

The only equivalent in this country is the Super-Efficient Home Appliance Initiative by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a nonprofit public-benefits corporation whose members include utilities, environmental groups, and state energy offices in the U.S. and Canada. The SEHA establishes efficiency tiers for dishwashers, refrigerators, room air conditioners, and washing machines that are tougher than Energy Star qualifying standards.

CEE's tiers are being used by some states, including California and Michigan, to determine which appliances qualify for the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.

Our ratings of appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and air conditioners (available to subscribers) are another valuable source of efficiency data, since their energy-efficiency scores typically better reflect real-world use than do some of the federal government's energy-use tests.

—Daniel DiClerico