Energy Star: Real Facts Behind the Suspicious Blue Logo

If you’re shopping for electronics, you might be looking for those that have the “Energy Star” logo, indicating that they’re energy-efficient. But all is not what it seems. Just because you see the blue sticker doesn’t mean the appliance consumes less energy.

A recent news study found out how some companies were deceiving their customers by using the logo on appliances that were not really energy efficient. For example, a 2008 LG two-door stainless-steel refrigerator model was given the energy star approval rating by the CSA (Canadian Standards Association), but the rating was based on a usage of 6 hours per day. What kind of refrigerator only operates for 6 hours a day? I don’t know about you, but I leave mine plugged in 24/7. Obviously, this clear oversight was left out of consideration when rating the refrigerator for energy efficiency. It actually consumed 50% more electricity than what was stated on the packaging label. Talk about deception.

When this article was on the news, LG could not be reached for comment. How convenient. But it just goes to show you what companies will do to obtain your business – twist the truth however they can. For all we know, they’re doing this in cooperation with our local electricity companies – after all, they are the ones to whom we pay our monthly electrical bills.

Don’t think this is the case for all electronic appliances, though. In many cases, the Energy Star logo does indicate the truth about the appliance’s efficiency. So how do you tell the difference between the appliances that really do save energy and the ones that don’t? The only sure-fire way is to calculate the amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) the appliance consumes per month and multiply that by the rate per kilowatt-hour as determined by your electrical provider. For example, if your refrigerator manual states that your refrigerator consumes 800 watts of electricity per month, and it operates on an average of 117 hours per month, you divide 800 by 1,000 to get 0.8 kilowatts, then multiply it by 117 hours to get the total kilowatt-hours, which comes to 93.6 kWh. Then, multiply the 93.6 kWh by the cost of your provider, which if we assume to be $0.05 per kWh, the result is $4.68 per month. Compare that monthly cost with your current refrigerator’s monthly cost and see how much you’re actually saving.

However, most people don’t want to take the time to determine this simple calculation. If you think about it, the $0.50 you could save in your monthly bill due to a new refrigerator isn’t that much, but when you start to add up the expenses between your computer, television, washer, dryer, furnace, and any other electrical appliances, the costs can add up real quickly.

Even if you’re not an environmentalist, being energy-efficient can save you a bundle on your hydro bill.