U.S. agencies try to restore faith in Energy Star appliance testing
By Sonja Ryst
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 10, 2010
When you buy something with an Energy Star label on it, are you getting ripped off for trying to be green?
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy have been fighting to end such worries in recent months. They are taking steps to reassure consumers that the blue and white stamp really means what it says, namely that the product is highly energy-efficient, and they are revamping the way they certify products that bear the label.
This comes after the Government Accountability Office flayed the Energy Star certification process because manufacturers could exploit it. GAO investigators said in March that they set up Web sites, mailboxes and cellphones for four bogus manufacturing companies and then used that contact information on Energy Star commitment forms. The bogus companies received Energy Star partnership status within two weeks. When the GAO investigators filled out forms describing 20 bogus products, 15 qualified for Energy Star labels, including a gas-powered clock radio and a feather duster attached to a space heater.
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Showing posts with label new home construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new home construction. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wall Street Journal Reports: Green, Pre-fab Homes
Prefab Houses Go Green
SmartMoney Magazine by Alyssa Abkowitz (Author Archive)
On a remote home-building site outside the small town of Charlestown, R.I., Tom Dieterich is up on a roof, ducking beneath a massive slab of wood and steel that hangs from a crane. The craggy-faced crew foreman from Blu Homes has been riding his workers hard to finish this house, since they’re already so close: The bamboo floors are down, the foam-insulated walls are up, even the energy-efficient kitchen appliances have been installed. Now, with dusk approaching, Dieterich is anxious to fix the final segment of the roof into place. After all, he and his crew—and one of our reporters—are putting up the house in a single day.
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