AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Energy Star, the government program that, for decades, has helped consumers choose energy efficient appliances, is on the chopping block. The move is part of the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the Environmental Protection Agency. Steve Nadel is the executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization that advocates for policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change. He joins us now. Thanks for being with us.
STEVE NADEL: Happy to do this.
RASCOE: So let's go back to 1992. How did Energy Star begin?
NADEL: It began under the George H.W. Bush Administration. They were looking for things that would aid the market and help consumers to choose more efficient products but to be voluntary so that it's ultimately up to each consumer whether they want to do a particular action or not - but to kind of lead the horses to water, if you will.
RASCOE: OK, and so it kind of showed you what appliances were the most efficient. And to be clear, this is a recognition program. This wasn't a program that set energy efficiency standards, right?
NADEL: Right. It recognizes the best products, but it's up to each consumer, do they want to buy one of these products or not?
RASCOE: What have been Energy Star's results so far?
NADEL: The results have been enormous. Evaluations show that since it began, the program has saved about $500 billion in energy bills. The products that they've recognized have improved in market share and efficiency. In many cases, they've had to revise and strengthen the specifications in order to keep recognizing the top performing products. So it's really helped move the market.
RASCOE: So the Trump administration wants to downsize government and cut what they say is waste, fraud and abuse. So when it comes to Energy Star, how much does the program cost the government to maintain?
NADEL: It costs about $30 million a year but saves about $40 billion a year in consumer bills.
RASCOE: Some might say that it's already in the interests of manufacturers to make the best and most efficient products that consumers want to buy, so why is a government program necessary?
NADEL: The government is a trusted independent source of information. Consumers might question what a manufacturer says 'cause, of course, they want to sell more products. So the government helps to recognize the more efficient products in a way that consumers can say, OK, yes, I want the more efficient product. Yes, I trust this. And they're more likely to buy the efficient products than if just the manufacturer said, this is efficient, please buy it.
RASCOE: Have there been a lot of complaints about Energy Star? I mean, I covered the environment and energy for a long time. Energy efficiency was one of those things that wasn't very controversial, especially if it wasn't mandatory.
NADEL: No, it - the program has widespread support. As I mentioned, it was started under the first President Bush. The second President Bush continued it and supported it, as did various Democratic presidents. It's only recently that President Trump has decided to question it. I'd also note that a lot of the manufacturers, a lot of the building owners, are strong supporters of the program. They find it very useful to help them to improve their products, improve their buildings and get recognized for it. So yeah, Trump is the exception to the widespread support.
RASCOE: That's Steve Nadel of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
NADEL: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
