Consumers Want Tiered Approach to Energy Star Labeling, Study Finds

U.S. consumers want Energy Star to adopt a tiered approach that differentiates products with the highest efficiency levels, a study found. More than 90 percent of respondents in a study by marketing firm EcoAlign said it’s a “good idea for Energy Star to differentiate tiers of energy efficiency with new categories and labels.” As part of changes to the Energy Star program, the EPA is weighing the introduction of a top tier “Super Star” program that would recognize the most efficient models in a product category. The EcoAlign study was based on 2,000 online interviews in February, the company said.

More than 80 percent of respondents said they were likely to buy products with a top tier Energy Star Gold label, with women more likely than men to do so, the study said. The Energy Star brand has high awareness and acceptance levels, with 71 percent saying they're “extremely or somewhat aware” of the label. The brand is strong but may be losing “a bit of its edge,” the study said, because “there may be issues of differentiation in an increasingly crowded market focused on energy efficiency, energy savings and environmental messaging."

There’s a “generational divide” over the importance of Energy Star, the study found. The brand has “more resonance” with older people, a result of the program’s “relative lack of engagement with younger Americans.” Women are more attuned to the energy savings aspects of the brand, and are more likely than men to recommend it, it said. Only four percent of consumers buy Energy Star products out of “altruistic motivations to protect the environment,” the study said, meaning that most believe that “protecting the environment is a sweetener or kicker to the primary motivation of savings money.” So Energy Star’s messaging strategies that stress on “environmental impact are not and will not be effective to drive further behavioral changes,” it said.

There’s a clear finding that Energy Star should evolve into a brand that points to “excellence” in the future, EcoAlign said. Keeping Energy Star strong is “critical to the collective success of the market and society to improve energy efficiency levels,” it said. “And given the current stalemate over climate change discussions, it may be the only realistic alternative to achieve large-scale emission reductions in the short term."

Meanwhile, the EPA and the Department of Energy said they're tightening Energy Star testing methods to “further strengthen” the program. The agencies are developing an “expanded system” that will require all products seeking Energy Star certification to be tested in approved labs. Manufacturers will need to take part in an “ongoing verification testing program” to ensure continued compliance,” they said.