Reps. Teague, Luján, Heinrich Voice Concerns with ENERGY STAR Label Inaccuracies

Last week, Congressman Harry Teague (NM-02) lead a group of 30 House members, including Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) and Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03), in sending a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson calling for more accurate reporting of ENERGY STAR ratings. According to a statement released by Teague's office, two recent reports released by both the Inspector General of the DOE and EPA have placed the integrity of the label in question, citing unqualified appliances that have received the energy-efficiency moniker. The letter urges the officials to provide consumers with accurate information on products claiming the ENERGY STAR designation.

The letter (pdf) comes as “Cash for Appliances,” a $300 million stimulus program that offers rebates with the purchase of new ENERGY STAR appliances, begins to be administered. Teague, a proponent of the energy efficiency rebates, warned that without accurate information on ENERGY STAR labeled products, customers may be paying a premium – and the government would be providing credits -- for these appliances that won’t actually reduce their utility bills or energy consumption.

“This program was designed to provide savings to New Mexicans on their energy bills. It can only be successful if the public is provided accurate information on the capabilities of these appliances,” said Congressman Teague. “As families are already struggling in this economic climate, I urge both the Department of Energy and the EPA to protect consumers from misrepresentations of ENERGY STAR claims and give them the information and tools to make the best purchase.”

The funding for the ENERGY STAR appliance rebates was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Click to read the full ENERGY STAR Program audit report (pdf) by the DOE’s Inspector General.