Even as the typical household appliance sold in this country has grown more energy and/or water efficient, the way the energy use of those appliances is measured and how those measurements are regulated have some flaws:
• Some energy-use-test procedures, as developed by the appliances industry and implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy, are out of date. That means that the energy-use figures you see on the EnergyGuide labels on products might not reflect typical use, and you'll actually spend more to run appliances than estimated.
• The qualifying standards for the federal Energy Star program are often too lax.
• Manufacturers perform their own energy-use tests and self-certify those numbers, often without independent, third-party verification.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers trade group notified Consumer Reports this week of its plans to address the issue of self-certification with a voluntary third-party-verification program for refrigerators and freezers, to be implemented in June 2010.
The details are still being worked out, with a finalized procedural guide due by the end of January, according to AHAM spokeswoman Jill Notini. She notes that most AHAM members, including GE, Haier, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool, are on board with the program and adds that independent laboratory testing will be done by random selection.
(In a related item, the DOE announced yesterday that manufacturers have a 30-day window, which closes on January 8, 2010, to "submit accurate certification reports and compliance statements" as part of the DOE's enhanced enforcement of the standards program for appliances. "Certification reports provide the Department with important information that allow us to verify if a manufacturer is complying with the energy efficiency standards that deliver significant energy and cost savings to the American public," said DOE General Counsel Scott Blake Harris, in a press release.)
Third-party verification represents a big shift for the appliance industry. Unfortunately, the DOE doesn't plan to implement new test procedures and energy-use standards for refrigerators and freezers until 2014, and that's a problem. "Third-party testing is good, but if the test procedures don't reflect real-world use, they'll only confirm 'savings' the consumer is unlikely to see. Current test procedures need to be continually updated and strengthened," explains Mark Connelly, deputy technical director for Consumer Reports.
Notini agrees with those concerns, but says, "Third-party verification is about creating a process by which to test products. It doesn't involve manufacturers spending millions and millions of dollars in R&D to get their products up to speed [for new test procedures]."
That's a fair point. But along with implementing third-party verification, we'd suggest that AHAM and its members work with the DOE to update the agency's testing methods and energy-use standards sooner than 2014.
—Daniel DiClerico
Essential information: If you're in the market for new kitchen and laundry gear, find the best places to buy appliances and then learn how to take advantage of the U.S. Department of Energy's $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.
There are multiple variables involved in consumer appliance energy use, such as behavior, home climate conditions and family size. Test procedures are developed to provide a uniform, repeatable measurement of energy use for comparison between products that provides an estimate of actual energy use for the average family.
AHAM recognizes the need to both continuously improve appliance test procedures and strengthen consumer confidence in refrigerator and freezer efficiency ratings. AHAM has conducted multiple revisions to the refrigerator-freezer test procedure resulting in three editions since 2000. The AHAM refrigerator and freezer verification program is not waiting until DOE implements new efficiency standards and test procedures in 2014. Between mid 2010 when our refrigerator and freezer verification program begins and 2014, the AHAM program will independently verify product ratings in a manner that conforms to the current DOE test procedure and any clarification published by the DOE. AHAM is working closely with DOE on the new test procedures for refrigerator/freezers, which will, among other things, harmonize the test temperature of products with testing protocols of other countries.
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