Outlines Released of Top-tier ‘Super Star’ Program for TVs, Appliances

The EPA last week put out for comment the contours of a “Super Star” program designed to identify the top-tier of energy efficiency products that qualify for Energy Star. The goal is to “drive more energy efficient products into the market more quickly,” the agency said. Products targeted for the program are TVs, clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, central air conditioners and heating gear.

CE makers and retailers have voiced reservations about a top-tier program (GED April 29 p1), citing possible consumer confusion, but the proposal has drawn support from environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council. The new program will be an extension of Energy Star and will be aimed at “early adopters,” the agency said. The EPA and the Department of Energy are “very mindful” that a top-tier program “needs to be a useful tool” for consumers, manufacturers, efficiency program administrators and retailers, the EPA said. So the agency has been researching “consumer interests and preferences” as well as issues related to the program’s design and the products it should cover, it said.

The EPA is proposing that for targeted product categories, where a super-efficient product or products exist, the “associated performance level” would be designated as the threshold for Super Star recognition for a given period. Products that qualify for the new program would be featured among Energy Star qualified product lists via “user-friendly” product lists on the Energy Star website, the agency said. “Tailored outreach and tools would be deployed to encourage ‘early adopters’ and others to access the lists.” Specially designed promotional sales materials for the products would be available “to further highlight recognized models in-store or in contractor sales literature."

EPA’s consumer research has found that a top-tier list of products won’t detract from the trust consumers have in Energy Star, the agency said. The studies also showed that a “small subset” of consumers are willing to pay more for super efficient products. The new program’s target audience is aged 35-64, likely to be an “early adopter, and whose preference for highly efficient products is “not always about saving money,” the agency said.

Comments on the Super Star proposals are due Oct. 29. The EPA will host a webinar Oct. 17 to provide more information about its consumer research and focus group studies, it said.