When "Energy Efficient" Isn't Enough

August 17, 2011 - As products continue to improve in efficiency to meet government programs and standards, a movement is also underway to recognize products that have gone far beyond the basic requirements for energy-efficiency compliance.

Last month, ENERGY STAR^® announced their new "Most Efficient" program which identifies and promotes the most efficient products on the market -- the goal being to more quickly drive energy-efficient products to market. Manufacturers can use the modified ENERGY STAR logo (shown at right) to differentiate their products from those that are less efficient. The initial list of products addressed by the program include: heating and air conditioning units; refrigerators and freezers; clothes washers; and televisions.

To be eligible for the Most Efficient distinction, products must be ENERGY STAR qualified and certified by an EPA-recognized certification body. In the case of televisions, the active on-mode power consumption is reduced to a much lower level than the proposed 2012 Version 6, with larger screen sets (≥50-inch viewable screen) capped at no more than 80 watts.

To read about ENERGY STAR's Most Efficient program, visit their website.

Another recently announced program related to high efficiency is the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) international competition for the most efficient appliances. (For those unfamiliar with SEAD, it's a part of The Clean Energy Ministerial that was formed by the United Nations in 2009.) Although the competition won't commence until early 2012, a draft of the requirements can be read on the SEAD website.

Interestingly, the product category to be addressed in the first competition is televisions. The test procedure for the competition is also international in nature and includes IEC 62087 (on-mode), IEC 62301 (standby), and CNIS (China) (luminance).

To read more about the SEAD most efficient award, visit their website.