Energy Star is a certification program, jointly administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, identifying products and homes meeting specific energy efficiency standards, giving consumers a recognizable, trusted label for identifying genuinely efficient options across a wide range of product categories.
This certification spans numerous product types, including appliances, windows, HVAC equipment, and even entire homes built to specific efficiency standards, providing a consistent benchmark across these diverse categories.
Because Energy Star certification requires meeting specific, verified performance standards rather than simply making efficiency claims, this label offers genuine assurance that a certified product or home has actually achieved measurable efficiency performance rather than relying on unverified marketing statements.
What Does Energy Star Certification Cover?
- Appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers
- Windows, doors, and skylights
- HVAC equipment and water heaters
- Entire homes meeting specific whole-house efficiency standards
Why Is Energy Star Important?
The Energy Star label provides consumers with a trusted, recognizable indicator of genuine efficiency performance, simplifying purchasing decisions by identifying products that have met verified standards rather than requiring consumers to independently research and compare technical specifications for every potential purchase. This simplification has made Energy Star a widely recognized and valued certification across the residential product landscape.
Many utility companies and local governments offer rebates or incentives specifically for Energy Star certified products or homes, providing an additional financial incentive beyond the energy savings themselves for choosing certified options during purchasing decisions. This combination of trust and potential savings makes the label worth looking for during any purchase decision.
Energy Star vs. HERS Rating
Energy Star is a certification indicating a product or home meets specific efficiency standards. A HERS rating provides a numeric score reflecting a whole home’s overall energy performance, a different but sometimes related metric used in conjunction with Energy Star home certification.