The ENERGY STAR label was established to achieve two primary objectives:
- To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy.
- To make it easy for businesses and consumers to identify and/or purchase efficient products, homes, buildings, and facilities that offer savings on utility bills while maintaining, if not enhancing, performance, features, and comfort.
To achieve these objectives, the ENERGY STAR program follows six guiding principles when considering the appropriateness of developing a specification for a new product category. These principles include:
- Significant energy savings can be realized on a national basis;
- Product performance can be maintained or enhanced with increased energy efficiency;
- Purchasers will recover their investment in increased energy efficiency within a reasonable period of time;
- Energy-efficiency can be achieved through one or more technologies such that qualifying product is broadly available and offered by more than one manufacturer;
- Product energy consumption and performance can be measured and verified with testing; and
- Labeling can effectively differentiate products and be visible for purchasers.
These principles are not applied as a strict checklist, as the ultimate viability and environmental impact of an ENERGY STAR specification in the marketplace depends upon many factors. The process for considering a new specification relies on rigorous market, engineering, and pollution savings analyses, as well as input from industry and other stakeholders.