EPA Clarifies Use at CES of Energy Star Logo on ‘Prospective’ Products

CE makers exhibiting “prospective products” at CES can’t put the Energy Star logo on devices that haven’t yet been certified, even if they expect them to qualify, the EPA said Tuesday. “The label may only be used in association with products that are qualified as Energy Star,” said Ann Bailey, chief of the Energy Star Labeling Branch. She was responding to a Nov. 24 letter from the CEA seeking clarifications and explanations of the applicability of new Energy Star testing and verification rules taking effect in January (CED Dec 16 p3).

Products approved by the EPA through Dec. 31 can carry the Energy Star label at CES, Bailey said. TVs qualified under Energy Star 4.1 don’t need to be retested after January, when version 4.2 takes effect, she said. The new version just provides “clarifications and re-organization to facilitate effective use” by certification bodies, Bailey said. The same policy applies to imaging equipment, she said. “Family models” of a TV approved before January don’t qualify for Energy Star, she said. “Manufacturers will need to have additional models certified” by a certification body after Jan. 1, Bailey said. “There is no family definition in the TV spec,” and EPA hasn’t “qualified family members” yet, she said.

Certification bodies have indicated to EPA that they will act on CE certification submissions “in a timely manner, similar or faster than the current qualification process at EPA,” Bailey said. The CEA had raised concerns that with just four certification bodies for TVs, device makers will have trouble keeping “introduction schedules without delay due to the Energy Star new certification program.” Device makers may have products intended for sale in Energy Star partner countries certified by third parties, Bailey said. The EPA will discontinue Jan. 1 the Energy Star Online Product Submittal Tool, she said. “EPA plans to share data with partner countries on certified products intended for sale in their respective markets."

Manufacturer ISO 17025-accredited labs that have gained EPA recognition can run Energy Star testing without enrolling in a certification body’s “supervised or witnessed manufacturers testing lab program,” Bailey said. But the certification body can enroll a manufacturer lab in the program, she said. “Based on conversations with EPA-recognized CBs, it is not their intention to do so.” ISO guidelines require certification bodies to “establish a relationship with any lab” to accept test results, Bailey said. So it’s “important for manufacturers to engage with EPA-recognized CBs to discuss appropriate testing of their products,” she said.