Live GreenerLook for the Energy Star Label
In today’s market, it seems every company is trying out some variation of a ‘green’ product line. In their haste to appeal to environmental activists and eco-friendly consumers, many of these products don’t live up to the standards their labels promise. To avoid purchasing items that simply claim to be environmentally safe, look for the Energy Star Label to guarantee quality and energy efficiency.Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient products. Created in 1992 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the program has since been adapted by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and the European Union. If a product is marked with an Energy Star label, it most likely uses 20-30 less energy than required by federal standards and meets a stringent set of specifications set by the EPA or DOE for its specific product line. Consumer products that may carry an Energy Star Label are computers and electronics, household appliances (such as refrigerators and dishwashers), heating and cooling systems, lighting and fans, plumbing, and building products.If you’re trying to reduce energy in your home, Energy Star offers numerous ways to reduce high energy bills, improve comfort, and help protect the environment from your own household. They provide helpful tools for evaluating your household energy problems then numerous ways to fix them. If you want to make some minor adjustments in your energy consumption, try some of Energy Star’s most loved products. These include energy efficient battery chargers, DVD and Blu-ray players, dehumidifiers, enterprise servers, solar water heaters, and qualified windows, doors, and skylights.In addition to labeling energy-reducing products, Energy Star also provides resources for constructing and renovating buildings and plants. They provide helpful guidelines for energy management and resources for getting started. Better yet, they encourage greener buildings by hosting a ‘National Building Competition‘ in which 14 buildings compete to see who can reduce their energy the most.