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The Energy Star program the program has cumulatively helped avoid 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. <\/span>Justin Sullivan\/Getty\/Grist<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n This story was originally published by\u00a0<\/em>Grist<\/a> and\u00a0is reproduced here as part of the\u00a0<\/em>Climate Desk<\/a>\u00a0collaboration<\/em>.<\/p>\n The federal Energy <\/span>Star program is among the most successful government initiatives in modern history. Its signature blue label is now nearly as recognizable as the Nike swoosh or a Coca-Cola can, and appliances bearing it save American consumers some $40 billion annually in energy costs, or about $350 for every taxpayer dollar that goes in.\u00a0<\/p>\n This week, however, President Donald Trump\u2019s administration moved to kill it,\u00a0the Washington Post<\/em> first reported<\/a>. Grist<\/em> also reviewed a US EPA document obtained by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that shows the program is slated to be \u201celiminated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnergy Star has saved American families and businesses more than half a trillion dollars in energy costs,\u201d said Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the ranking member of the committee, in a statement. \u201cBy eliminating this program, [Trump] will force Americans to buy appliances that cost more to run and waste more energy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an odd thing that you would jettison a voluntary public-private partnership that costs a rounding error in EPA\u2019s budget and affords consumers billions of dollars of value.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Launched in 1992, during George H.W. Bush\u2019s presidency, Energy Star sets efficiency specifications for products ranging from dishwashers to entire homes. Those standards are beyond government-mandated minimums, and Energy Star\u2019s website says the goal is to provide \u201csimple, credible, and unbiased information\u201d people can use to make better decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Energy Star certification is voluntary, most major manufacturers participate.\u00a0According to the government<\/a>, around 9 in 10 households recognize the Energy Star label. Depending on the year, as many as 80 percent say the label \u201cvery much\u201d or \u201csomewhat\u201d influenced their purchases. Overall, consumers have bought more than 300 million appliances with the Energy Star label and the program has cumulatively helped avoid\u00a04 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEnergy Star remains one of our most effective bipartisan tools for ensuring energy reliability, affordability, and American competitiveness,\u201d said Paula Glover, president of the nonprofit coalition Alliance to Save Energy. She noted the broader economic impact of the program as well, including creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the manufacturing, retail, real estate, and energy services industries. \u201cShutting it down is a risk to those jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, though, Trump has complained about efficiency benchmarks for appliances. Lower-flow showerheads, he said, make showers\u00a0\u201cfive times longer.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0LED light bulbs\u00a0make him look orange<\/a>. People are flushing\u00a0efficient toilets \u201d10 times, 15 times\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and, with dishwashers, \u201cthe electric bill is 10 times more than the water.<\/a>\u201d These claims are, by and large, inaccurate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Veracity aside, Trump\u2019s efforts play into a larger\u00a0culture war against appliance standards<\/a>\u2014one that the White House has continued to aggressively wage since his second term began. <\/p>\n In February, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced\u00a0it was delaying efficiency regulation<\/a>\u00a0of appliances ranging from central air conditioners and freezers to washing machines and dryers. In March,\u00a0it said it was withdrawing four efficiency standards<\/a>\u00a0that the Biden administration had proposed and was pushing back the implementation date of others. Last month, Trump\u00a0issued an executive order titled<\/a>, in all caps, \u201cMAINTAINING ACCEPTABLE WATER PRESSURE IN SHOWERHEADS.\u201d<\/p>\n The Energy Star rollback would likely be the most visible attack yet on appliance efficiency, and it even has manufacturers worried. Last month,\u00a0more than 1,000 companies<\/a>, cities, and groups wrote a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to support the program.<\/p>\n \u201cThis would be a very big deal,\u201d said the representative of one manufacturer, who asked not to be named given the sensitivity of the potential closure. Energy Star, they explained, helps companies market and move higher volumes of high-efficiency products. \u201cIt\u2019s an odd thing that you would jettison a voluntary public-private partnership that costs a rounding error in EPA\u2019s budget and affords consumers billions of dollars of value.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond eliminating staff, the EPA\u2019s exact plans and timeline for any Energy Star rollback remain unclear. The agency did not respond directly to questions about the program\u2019s future but in an emailed statement told Grist<\/em> the \u201cEPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Losing Energy Star could have a range of ripple effects. In addition to making selecting products more confusing for consumers, it could hinder people\u2019s ability to qualify for federal, state, or utility incentives that are tied to the certification. There is, for example, a federal tax incentive for building Energy Star homes. Appliance rebates are also often linked to the designation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHow are those programs now going to know which kinds of appliances they want to give a rebate to or a tax incentive for?\u201d asked Glover. States or utilities could conceivably fill that void with their own standards, creating a patchwork of regulation and incentives. \u201cHaving Energy Star that gives a federal standard makes far more sense. It\u2019s certainly easier for consumers to understand what their options are.\u201d<\/p>\n These are among the many details that would have to be worked out if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they expected this kind of pushback,\u201d said Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, about the media attention that the latest change has garnered. \u201cThis is getting a lot of publicity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n