Energy Star: the US voluntary energy-efficiency program
Energy Star is the US voluntary energy-efficiency label, created by the EPA in 1992 for computers and monitors and written into federal law in 2005 as a program of both the EPA and the Department of Energy. 2026 is the year its institutional home changes: a Memorandum of Agreement signed on March 3, 2026 makes DOE the lead agency from June 1, 2026, and the transition plan finalized on August 28, 2026 gives the two agencies twelve months to move the trademark, the partner agreements and the IT systems. The mechanics a manufacturer deals with have not changed: a versioned specification per product category, testing in an EPA-recognized laboratory, certification by a recognized Certification Body, listing in the product finder and verification testing after certification. This page sets out the legal basis, the 2025 to 2027 timeline, the electronics specifications actually in effect, the certification chain as the EPA documents describe it, the comparison with the EU energy label, and the claims about the program that the texts contradict.
Legal basis and governance
Section titled “Legal basis and governance”Statute: 42 USC 6294a and the Clean Air Act
Section titled “Statute: 42 USC 6294a and the Clean Air Act”The EPA launched Energy Star in 1992 under the authority of Clean Air Act section 103(g), starting with computers and monitors. The role of DOE began in 1996 through a memorandum of cooperation between the two agencies. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, section 131, then codified the program as section 324A of EPCA, now 42 USC 6294a:
- Subsection (a) establishes "within the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency a voluntary program to identify and promote energy-efficient products and buildings".
- Subsection (b) divides responsibilities between the two agencies "in accordance with the terms of applicable agreements between those agencies".
- Subsection (c) lists the duties: preserve the integrity of the label, regularly update product criteria, consult interested parties before establishing or revising a specification, explain changes and respond to comments, and give 270 days of lead time before a new or significantly revised specification takes effect, unless the agency specifies otherwise.
Energy Star is therefore statutory but voluntary for manufacturers. It is not the same thing as the mandatory federal efficiency standards and DOE test procedures adopted under EPCA in 10 CFR Parts 429, 430 and 431, which apply whether or not a product carries the label.
Who leads: from the 2009 MOU to the 2026 MOA
Section titled “Who leads: from the 2009 MOU to the 2026 MOA”Under the 2009 EPA and DOE memorandum of understanding, as summarised by the Congressional Research Service, EPA was the lead agency and generally set the performance levels, while DOE provided technical support, including test procedures and program monitoring. DOE also runs its own verification testing, targeted rather than random and funded by the agency.
The arrangement was rewritten in 2025 and 2026. The dated sequence, from primary documents where available:
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | EPA launches Energy Star under Clean Air Act section 103(g), for computers and monitors | CRS IF10753 |
| 1996 | EPA and DOE memorandum of cooperation, start of the DOE role | CRS IF10753 |
| August 8, 2005 | Energy Policy Act of 2005, section 131, adds EPCA section 324A (42 USC 6294a) | US Code |
| 2009 | EPA and DOE MOU on improving the energy efficiency of products and buildings, EPA as lead | CRS IF10753 |
| 2011 | Third-party certification required for products (after GAO-10-470 found the self-certification process vulnerable to fraud) | CRS IF10753 |
| February 20, 2018 | EU-US Energy Star agreement for office equipment expires | CRS IF10753, Decision 2013/107/EU |
| Early 2025 | EPA stops updating specifications | Transition Plan, section V |
| May 2025 | CRS reports that EPA plans to eliminate the program in a reorganization | CRS IF10753 (May 6, 2025) |
| FY2026 | EPA appropriations act, Pub. L. 119-74, directs funding for Energy Star | Transition Plan, section VIII |
| March 3, 2026 | EPA and DOE sign a Memorandum of Agreement making DOE the lead federal agency | Transition Plan |
| June 1, 2026 | Effective date of the MOA | Transition Plan |
| August 28, 2026 | Transition plan finalized; transfer to be complete within twelve months | Transition Plan |
| September 1, 2026 | Target date in the plan for the Trademark and Agreement Transfer Plan | Transition Plan |
| Before July 2027 | Target for moving the ENERGY STAR website, ES Connect, Portfolio Manager, the product finder and the Qualified Product Exchange to DOE hosting | Transition Plan |
Points in the transition plan that matter to a manufacturer:
- Partner agreements. Most existing product partnership agreements are already with both EPA and DOE; only "a small percentage" are EPA-only and will be modified to include DOE.
- Trademark. Control of the registered Energy Star marks passes from EPA to DOE only after the Trademark and Agreement Transfer Plan is finalized, on a date that plan sets.
- Specifications. The plan states that EPA "has not been engaged in updating specifications since early 2025" and that DOE "will lead future ENERGY STAR program updates". Specifications under revision in the search tool (for example Clothes Washers 9.0, Clothes Dryers 2.0, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment 2.0) depend on DOE picking them up.
- Foreign agreements. EPA holds Energy Star agreements with three countries: Canada, Switzerland and Japan. They are to be transferred to DOE, replaced, or left to expire.
Federal procurement
Section titled “Federal procurement”42 USC 8259b(b) requires the head of a federal agency buying an energy-consuming product in a category covered by Energy Star or by the FEMP designated product program to procure an Energy Star product or a FEMP-designated product. The exceptions are a written finding that no such product is cost-effective over its life, or that none is reasonably available that meets the agency's functional requirements. This is the one place where the label has legal force on a purchasing decision.
Specifications in effect for electronics (October 2026)
Section titled “Specifications in effect for electronics (October 2026)”Each specification carries partner commitments, eligibility criteria and a test method. The statuses and effective dates below are those shown by the ENERGY STAR specification search on October 7, 2026; the metrics and test methods come from the specification PDFs.
| Category | Version in effect | Effective date | Metric and test basis (from the specification) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computers | ENERGY STAR Computers 9.0 | October 27, 2025 | Annual Typical Energy Consumption (ETEC) against ETEC_MAX built from allowances; modes include Off, Sleep, Short Idle and Long Idle; ENERGY STAR Test Method for Computers, Rev. January 2025 |
| Displays | ENERGY STAR Displays 8.0 | January 28, 2020 | Total Energy Consumption (TEC, kWh) for monitors against a maximum with allowances; test method uses the IEC 62087:2011 dynamic broadcast-content signal; products in DOE TV scope are tested to Appendix H of 10 CFR 430 Subpart B |
| Imaging equipment | ENERGY STAR Imaging Equipment 3.2 | November 18, 2021 (date of publication) | Typical Electricity Consumption (TEC) or Operational Mode (OM) approach, depending on product type, marking technology and format |
| Televisions | 9.1 | October 20, 2022 | On Mode Power measured per Appendix H to Subpart B of 10 CFR 430 (DOE TV test procedure); definitions in 10 CFR 430 take precedence |
| Telephony | 3.0 | October 1, 2014 | ENERGY STAR Test Method for Telephony, Rev. November 2013, with IEC 62301 Ed. 2.0 measurement conditions |
| Enterprise servers | 4.0 | January 12, 2024 | SERT rating tool results; power supply efficiency criteria; ENERGY STAR Test Method for Computer Servers, Rev. April 2023 |
| Data centre storage | 2.1 | January 19, 2022 | SNIA Emerald Power Efficiency Measurement Specification Version 4.0.0 workloads |
| Large network equipment | 1.1 | March 1, 2016 | See specification |
| Uninterruptible power supplies | 2.0 | January 1, 2019 | Efficiency determined per Appendix Y to Subpart B of 10 CFR 430 where applicable |
Electronics specifications listed as sunset by the same search: Set-top Boxes and Cable Boxes (sunset on September 29, 2023), Small Network Equipment (Versions 1.0 and 2.0), Audio/Video (Versions 3.0 and 4.0), External Power Supplies and Battery Chargers. A product in a sunset category cannot be newly certified, so a page or datasheet still promising "Energy Star set-top box" or "Energy Star router" certification is out of date.
Three rules sit in every specification and are often misread:
- Date of manufacture. "A product model shall meet the ENERGY STAR specification in effect on its date of manufacture", defined as the date the unit is completely assembled. A model certified to the previous Computers version could not be labelled on units assembled from October 27, 2025 unless it also met Version 9.0.
- Family and representative model. Where a specification allows it, a family can be certified on the test report of a representative model; the CB must verify the family and representative model claims against the definitions in the specification.
- Unit shipment data. Partners report the number of certified units shipped in each calendar year to EPA (or an authorised third party), no later than March 1 of the following year, as the Computers 9.0 partner commitments put it.
Certification chain: laboratory, Certification Body, EPA
Section titled “Certification chain: laboratory, Certification Body, EPA”Since 2011, products must be third-party certified. EPA states that it oversees "more than twenty certification bodies and more than 700 recognized labs".
EPA-recognized laboratory
Section titled “EPA-recognized laboratory”A laboratory is recognized when either:
- it is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by an EPA-recognized accreditation body for the relevant Energy Star test methods, and complies with the Conditions and Criteria for Recognition of Laboratories; or
- it is a manufacturer's own (first-party) lab enrolled in the witnessed or supervised manufacturers' testing laboratory (WMTL/SMTL) program of a recognized CB.
EPA does not accept every Global ACI MRA signatory (formerly ILAC MRA, until January 1, 2026) automatically: it keeps its own list of recognized accreditation bodies, which includes A2LA, ANAB, NVLAP, IAS and PJLA in the US, SCC in Canada, COFRAC, DAkkS, UKAS, ACCREDIA, ENAC, RvA and SWEDAC in Europe, and CNAS, JAB, KOLAS, TAF, NABL, SAC and HKAS in Asia, among others.
EPA-recognized Certification Body
Section titled “EPA-recognized Certification Body”The CB, not the laboratory, takes the certification decision: a test report alone is not an attestation of conformity. The CB requirements come from the EPA "Conditions and Criteria for Recognition of Certification Bodies" (Rev. December 2021):
| Requirement | What the document says |
|---|---|
| Accreditation | ISO/IEC 17065, by a signatory to the IAF MLA covering product certification, operating to ISO/IEC 17011 |
| Data origin | Confirm that all test data come from a laboratory EPA has recognized for that specification, or from a lab in the WMTL/SMTL program of the CB |
| Reporting | Report certified product data to EPA through XML web services (Qualified Product Exchange) |
| Records | Keep test reports for at least five years or the duration of certification, whichever is longer |
| Mark | The CB must not use its own mark to indicate that a product is Energy Star qualified |
| Verification testing | Partner-funded; test an EPA-determined representative percentage of certified models on a twelve-month cycle; EPA adds its own selections |
| Sample selection | Prior failures, third-party referrals, high sales volumes, then random; units bought off the shelf first, then warehouse, then off the line; the partner does not choose the sample |
| Test location | EPA-recognized third-party lab, or a first-party lab only for off-the-line units with CB personnel witnessing |
| Failures | Notify EPA within two business days; decertify within two business days if EPA considers the results final; tell the manufacturer only upon or after notifying EPA |
| Changes | Partners must tell the CB about product changes that could affect qualification; the CB requires and evaluates retesting |
The partner's side
Section titled “The partner's side”The brand owner signs a partnership agreement and accepts the partner commitments of each specification. For computers (Version 9.0) these include: using the mark on the product (permanent or temporary label, or an electronic label meeting size and colour rules), in product literature, on retail packaging and on the web pages of certified models; cooperating in third-party verification testing, with EPA and DOE free to test products bought on the open market; annual unit shipment data; and notifying a change of responsible party within 30 days through the MESA account tool.
| Step | Actor | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Check the version in effect for the expected manufacture dates | Brand owner | Target specification |
| Testing | EPA-recognized laboratory or WMTL/SMTL | Test report per the specification test method |
| Certification | EPA-recognized CB | Certification decision, data reported to EPA |
| Listing | EPA (moving to DOE hosting) | Model in the product finder |
| Annual reporting | Brand owner | Unit shipment data by March 1 |
| Verification and challenge testing | CB, plus EPA and DOE tests | Pass, or decertification |
Energy Star Most Efficient
Section titled “Energy Star Most Efficient”Most Efficient is a recognition granted on top of Energy Star certification, with criteria set by product category and by year. The July 18, 2023 EPA memo lists the 2023 categories: air conditioners and heat pumps, ceiling fans, clothes dryers, clothes washers, computer monitors, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, freezers, geothermal heat pumps, refrigerators, room air cleaners, room air conditioners, ventilating fans, and windows, sliding glass doors and skylights. Televisions and computers were not on the list. Since EPA stopped updating specifications in early 2025, check the Most Efficient criteria archive on the ENERGY STAR website for the year you are targeting before relying on the mark.
Energy Star vs the EU energy label
Section titled “Energy Star vs the EU energy label”| Criterion | Energy Star (US) | EU energy label |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Voluntary (42 USC 6294a) | Mandatory for product groups covered by a delegated regulation |
| Legal basis | EPCA section 324A, Clean Air Act section 103(g); agency agreements | Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 and delegated regulations, for example (EU) 2019/2013 for electronic displays |
| Result | Pass or fail against the specification | Class on a scale |
| Conformity route | Third-party: recognized lab and recognized CB | Responsibility of the supplier, with market surveillance by Member States |
| Database | Energy Star product finder, fed by CBs | EPREL, product database under Article 12 of 2017/1369 |
| Electronics | Computers, displays, imaging, TVs, telephony, servers, storage, UPS | Electronic displays labelled; servers and data storage products have ecodesign requirements (Regulation (EU) 2019/424) but no energy label |
The EU and US ran a joint Energy Star program for office equipment from 2001. The last agreement, concluded by Council Decision 2013/107/EU, was signed in Brussels on December 10, 2012 and in Washington on January 18, 2013, and stated that it "shall remain in force for a period of five years" (Article XIV). It expired on February 20, 2018 and was not renewed. Article XV required the parties, on termination or non-renewal, to inform registered participants and stop the use of the marks on the date agreed. A campaign for both markets therefore needs two test plans: the Energy Star test method for the US, and the method referenced in the EU delegated or ecodesign regulation. See the EU and US dual certification guide.
Claims the texts contradict
Section titled “Claims the texts contradict”| Common claim (including earlier versions of this page) | What the text says |
|---|---|
| "Since 1996, a DOE MOU divides categories, with DOE leading washers, dishwashers, water heaters and heat pumps" | The 1996 document was a memorandum of cooperation. Under the 2009 MOU, EPA was the lead and DOE supplied test procedures and verification support. Since the MOA of March 3, 2026 (effective June 1, 2026), DOE is the lead federal agency for the whole program. |
| "Energy Star is an administrative EPA program that could be dropped at will" | It is statutory: Energy Policy Act of 2005 section 131 created 42 USC 6294a, which places it in both DOE and EPA. The reported 2025 plan to eliminate it at EPA ended with a transfer to DOE, not a repeal. |
| "Products certified to the previous version lose recognition for new placements on the market" | The test is the date of manufacture of each unit (date it is completely assembled), not the placement on the market. |
| "Current specs include Set-top Boxes 5.1, Small Network Equipment 1.0, Audio/Video 3.0" | Set-top boxes were sunset on September 29, 2023; Small Network Equipment and Audio/Video are listed as sunset. Large Network Equipment is at 1.1 and data centre storage at 2.1. |
| "The EU-US agreement was renewed in 2006 and 2012 and lapsed in 2018; the EU recognised US certificates" | The last agreement was concluded by Decision 2013/107/EU, signed in December 2012 and January 2013, with a five-year term; it expired on February 20, 2018. It coordinated a common voluntary labelling program for office equipment; it never stood in for EU legal requirements. |
| "Energy Star is administered abroad by Canada, Japan, Taiwan and the EU" | EPA agreements exist with Canada, Switzerland and Japan only (2026 Transition Plan). Taiwan and the EU agreements are past ones. |
| "Most Efficient covers televisions and heat pump water heaters but not monitors" | The 2023 Most Efficient list includes computer monitors and does not include televisions or water heaters. |
| "Federal buyers must buy Energy Star under FAR, unless a justification is filed" | The statutory duty is 42 USC 8259b, and the exceptions are specific: a written finding that no Energy Star or FEMP product is cost-effective or reasonably available. |
| "Any ISO/IEC 17025 lab can test" | The accreditation must come from an EPA-recognized accreditation body and cover the relevant Energy Star test method, or the lab must be enrolled in the WMTL/SMTL program of a CB. |
Common pitfalls
Section titled “Common pitfalls”| Pitfall | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Treating Energy Star as a market-access requirement | Confusion with EPCA standards and DOE certification under 10 CFR 429 to 431, which apply regardless of the label |
| Certifying to a version without checking the effective date of its successor | Units assembled after the new effective date cannot carry the mark |
| Testing in an accredited lab whose accreditation body is not on the EPA list | Report not usable by the CB |
| Displaying the mark before the CB has certified and reported the model | Unauthorised use of a registered certification mark |
| Assuming 2025 or 2026 Most Efficient criteria exist for your category | Check the archive; recognition is per year and per category |
| Using the old EU Energy Star logo on products for the EU market | No legal basis since February 20, 2018 |
| Missing the March 1 unit shipment data deadline | Breach of the partner commitments |
| Ignoring the DOE transition | Contacts, partner agreements and IT tools (MESA, Qualified Product Exchange, product finder) move to DOE by July 2027 |
Further reading
Section titled “Further reading”- FCC, overview: for the radio and electromagnetic emissions side of electronics placed on the US market, distinct from Energy Star
- EU and US dual certification: a strategy for dual compliance covering ecodesign, labelling and radio
- Ecodesign and energy efficiency (ErP): the EU side of energy performance requirements
- Glossary: definitions of EPA, DOE, FEMP, EPCA, MEPS, CB, ISO/IEC 17065, EPREL
See also
Section titled “See also”- EU Ecolabel, PEF and LCA for electronic products
- Conflict minerals: Dodd-Frank, EU 2017/821, CMRT and EMRT
- IEC 62133 and UN 38.3: Li-ion battery safety and transport
- Lithium battery shipping: IATA DGR, IMDG, ADR, DOT
Sources & references
- ENERGY STAR, official program site, US EPA and US Department of Energy www.energystar.gov/
- Product Specifications and Partner Commitments Search (status and effective dates), ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/products/spec
- 2026 ENERGY STAR Program Transition Plan, finalized August 28, 2026, US EPA and US Department of Energy www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/2026-08/ENERGY%20STAR%20Transition%20Plan%20Final%2008.28.2026_508.pdf
- 42 USC 6294a, Energy Star program (EPCA section 324A, added by Energy Policy Act of 2005 section 131), US Government Publishing Office www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title42/html/USCODE-2023-title42-chap77-subchapIII-partA-sec6294a.htm
- 42 USC 8259b, federal procurement of energy efficient products, US Government Publishing Office www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title42/html/USCODE-2023-title42-chap91-subchapIII-partB-sec8259b.htm
- ENERGY STAR Program, In Focus IF10753 (updated May 6, 2025), Congressional Research Service www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF10753/IF10753.5.pdf
- ENERGY STAR Certification (products, homes, buildings, plants), ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/about/how-energy-star-works/energy-star-certification
- Conditions and Criteria for Recognition of Certification Bodies (Rev. December 2021), US EPA www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/Conditions%20and%20Criteria%20for%20Recognition%20of%20Certification%20Bodies.pdf
- Certification Body Resources, ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/partner-resources/products_partner_resources/third-party-cert/cbs
- Laboratory Resources, ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/partner-resources/products_partner_resources/third-party-cert/laboratory
- EPA-recognized Accreditation Bodies, ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/partner-resources/products_partner_resources/third-party-cert/abs/epa-recognized-abs
- ENERGY STAR Computers Version 9.0, Final Specification, US EPA www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/ENERGY%20STAR%20Computers%20Version%209.0%20Final%20Specification.pdf
- ENERGY STAR Televisions Version 9.1 Specification, US EPA www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/ENERGY%20STAR%20Version%209.1%20Televisions%20Specification.pdf
- 10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B, test procedures (Appendix H televisions, Appendix Y battery chargers, Appendix Z external power supplies), eCFR www.ecfr.gov/current/title-10/chapter-II/subchapter-D/part-430/subpart-B
- ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2023 Update and 2024 Proposed Criteria (July 18, 2023), US EPA www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/ENERGY%20STAR%20Most%20Efficient%202023%20Update%20and%202024%20Proposed%20Criteria_0.pdf
- Council Decision 2013/107/EU on the EU-US agreement on energy-efficiency labelling of office equipment, Official Journal of the European Union eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013D0107
- Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 setting a framework for energy labelling, Official Journal of the European Union eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017R1369
- Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), US Department of Energy www.energy.gov/femp/federal-energy-management-program
- ENERGY STAR Product Finder, ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/productfinder/
- Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated launch (January 1, 2026), IAF iaf.nu/en/news/global-accreditation-cooperation-incorporated-launch-unifies-international-accreditation-organisations-and-strengthens-worldwide-trust/
Frequently asked questions
- Is Energy Star mandatory in the United States?
- No. 42 USC 6294a establishes Energy Star as a voluntary program to identify and promote energy-efficient products and buildings. It does not gate access to the market. The mandatory federal minimum efficiency standards and DOE test procedures sit elsewhere, under EPCA (10 CFR Parts 429, 430 and 431). Energy Star does bite in federal purchasing: 42 USC 8259b requires federal agencies buying a product in a category covered by Energy Star or FEMP to buy an Energy Star or FEMP-designated product, unless the agency head finds in writing that none is cost-effective or reasonably available.
- Who runs Energy Star in 2026, EPA or DOE?
- Both, with the lead moving to DOE. EPA created the program in 1992 under Clean Air Act section 103(g); DOE joined in 1996; the Energy Policy Act of 2005 placed it in both agencies and lets them split the work by agreement. Under the 2009 MOU, EPA led and DOE supplied test procedures and verification testing. On March 3, 2026 EPA and DOE signed a Memorandum of Agreement making DOE the lead agency, effective June 1, 2026. The transition plan, finalized on August 28, 2026, commits both agencies to complete the transfer within twelve months, with IT systems including the program website moving before July 2027.
- How does an electronic product obtain the Energy Star label?
- The brand owner becomes an Energy Star partner and has the model tested by an EPA-recognized laboratory, meaning a lab accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by an EPA-recognized accreditation body, or a manufacturer lab enrolled in the witnessed or supervised testing program of a certification body. An EPA-recognized Certification Body, accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 by an IAF MLA signatory, reviews the test report against the specification and reports the certified model to EPA, which lists it in the product finder. The CB then runs partner-funded verification testing on a sample of certified models every twelve months.
- Which electronics specifications are in effect in October 2026?
- According to the ENERGY STAR specification search: Computers Version 9.0 (effective October 27, 2025), Displays Version 8.0 (January 28, 2020), Imaging Equipment Version 3.2 (November 18, 2021), Televisions Version 9.1 (October 20, 2022), Telephony Version 3.0 (October 1, 2014), data centre storage Version 2.1, Enterprise Servers Version 4.0 (January 12, 2024), Large Network Equipment Version 1.1 and Uninterruptible Power Supplies Version 2.0. Set-top boxes were sunset on September 29, 2023, and the Small Network Equipment and Audio/Video specifications are listed as sunset.
- What is Energy Star Most Efficient?
- A recognition layer on top of the Energy Star certification, with criteria that EPA sets per product category and per year. The 2023 recognition covered 14 categories, including computer monitors, refrigerators, dishwashers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps and windows; televisions were not on that list. It is not a separate certification and must be met against the criteria of the year in question.
- How does Energy Star differ from the EU energy label?
- The EU energy label under Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 is mandatory for the product groups covered by delegated regulations, such as electronic displays (Regulation (EU) 2019/2013), and grades products on a scale, with registration in the EPREL database (Article 12). Energy Star is voluntary and pass or fail against a specification, with third-party certification. The EU and US used to run a joint Energy Star program for office equipment, but the last agreement (Council Decision 2013/107/EU) had a five-year term and expired on February 20, 2018. There is no mutual recognition today.
- Which specification version must a product meet?
- The one in effect on the unit's date of manufacture, defined in each specification as the date the unit is completely assembled. Units built after a new version takes effect must meet that version, even if the model was certified earlier. By statute, EPA and DOE give 270 days of lead time before a new or significantly revised specification takes effect, unless they specify otherwise.
- What is Energy Star for buildings?
- A separate strand that certifies the operating performance of existing commercial buildings and industrial plants, not products. A building needs an Energy Star score of 75 or higher on the 1 to 100 scale computed in Portfolio Manager, verified by a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect; plants need a score of 75 certified by a Professional Engineer. This page focuses on products.