When shopping for a new small or large appliance, the Energy Star label is supposed to be a guide of energy usage. A joint venture of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department, the Energy Star label currently functions as the guide for millions of dollars of government subsidies, as well as hundreds of thousands of consumer decisions each year. This is why it is especially worrisome that a recent Government Accountability Office audit was able to get over a dozen bogus products approved – everything from a gas-powered alarm clock that would practically require auto financing all the way to a space heater with fly paper attached.
Energy Star approved unrealistic products
When the Government Accountability Office submitted fictional products for approval, they were granted the Energy Star logo 15 times out of 20. E