Energy Star
The Energy Star is the symbol that marks the international standard of energy efficiency for all sorts of electronic products from computers and kitchen appliances to buildings and peripherals. The Energy Star was introduced in the United States in 1992, but it has been adopted by Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, the European Union and Taiwan. The great thing about products that carry the Energy Star label is that they require with 20% or 30% less energy than regular electric gear, which is rewarding since both the environment and the user’s finances benefit from it. Electronic equipment with the Energy Star certification further combine low energy usage with good space features.
The introduction of the Energy Star standard resulted from the ever higher threat of the greenhouse effect to which power plants have a massive contribution. The one that supervised the development and the implementation of the Energy Star program was John Hoffman, the creator of other green programs. Initially, the Energy Star had to increase the consumer’s awareness about the presence of energy efficient goods on the market, and computers were the first to carry the Energy Star label. After 1995, new homes, as well as residential cooling and heating systems fell under the incidence of the Energy Star. 2006 brought a true abundance of products marked with the Energy Star and applying to a variety of activity sectors.
Refrigerators can save up to 20% while Energy star labeled dishwashers have an energy consume with 41% lower. Moreover, the annual cost of the operation for the cooling and heating systems manufactured according to the Energy Star standards is indicated on the label for the buyer to appreciate and compare with other standard methods. The Department of Energy remains the only institution that can classify a product as energy efficient or not. Fortunately, this energy saving project has developed at such technological levels that there are electronic products that use with 90% less energy.
The Energy Star applies to all sorts of lighting systems, and the implementation of fluorescent lighting is nowadays demanded by law, since countries like Austraia have condemned the use of incandescent lamps for good. The energy consume is with 75% more advantageous for the light bulbs marked with the Energy Star; furthermore, they find applications anywhere for indoor and outdoor purposes, for emergency lights and complex corporation projects. Even the light decorations we install for Christmas should carry the Energy Star symbol. With further consumer education, such energy saving appliances will get to replace the older designs that indirectly contributed to environmental deterioration.
