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Notes From the FIeLD Making ENERGY STAR Work for You By Michael Magallanes O ne of the best known consumer labels in the energy efficiency sector is ENERGY STAR. Sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR has significant value in terms of product reputation and marketing credibility, and it is useful in boosting interest in products and brands. In today's highly competitive world, companies need all the marketing horsepower they can muster. To businesses involved with energy conservation, ENERGY STAR can be a powerful marketing engine. What is eNerGY stAr? ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps American businesses and households save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. ENERGY STAR was established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy and to make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase energy-efficient products that offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features, and comfort. The DOE and EPA partnership offers a proven energy management strategy that helps in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements. In 2011, ENERGY STAR helped Americans reduce utility bills by $23 billion. In turn, this savings prevented 210 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions going into our atmosphere: equivalent to the annual emissions from 41 million vehicles. 32 CoatingsPro g January 2013 In 1992, the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Products earn the ENERGY STAR label by meeting the energy efficiency requirements set for t h in ENERGY STAR product specifications. But it's not just for products. ENERGY STAR a lso prov ides a n innovat ive energ y performance rating system t hat has been used for more than 200,000 buildings across the countr y. It does not replace LEED (Leadership in Energ y & Environmental Design), but instead complements it.