A Skeptical EPA Weighs the Future of Energy Star

Energy Star, run by the EPA with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and private partners, is a voluntary program that tests many products, including HVAC equipment, for energy efficiency. A product that meets or exceeds Energy Star efficiency specifications wins certification and can be labeled with the familiar blue Energy Star logo, which tells consumers that the product is highly energy efficient.

A residential natural gas furnace must have an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 95% in the North, and 90% in the South, to qualify for Energy Star certification, according to the Energy Star website. The furnace must also have a high-efficiency, electronically commutated fan motor and air leakage of 2% or less. A split-system heat pump must have an HSPF2 of at least 7.8, an SEER2 of at least 15.2, and an EER2 of at least 11.7 to qualify.

Energy Star was launched in 1992, and in 2020 saved an estimated 520 billion kWh of electricity, $42 billion in energy costs, and 400 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the program’s website. Its annual budget in recent years has typically been under $40 million.

Energy Star was moved earlier this month from the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection to its Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, both of which were sub-offices with the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR). The Office of Atmospheric Protection was eliminated as part of the reorganization.

The arrival of the second Trump administration in Washington, D.C., this year brought talk of canceling the Energy Star program. HVACR industry organizations and manufacturers pushed back on that talk in March, sending a letter to Zeldin that called Energy Star “an effective non-regulatory program and partnership between the government and the private sector.”

Both Democratic and Republican federal lawmakers have voiced support for the program, and Congressional appropriations committees have recommended funding it in the 2026 fiscal year, according to news reports, though the Trump administration’s budget proposal eliminates funding. The 2026 budget has not been finalized; the Senate, in an attempt to end the government shutdown, voted November 9 for a continuing resolution that would fund the government through Friday, January 30.

While a statement attributed to Carolyn Holran, the EPA press secretary, said no final decision on Energy Star had been reached, it also indicated skepticism within the agency about the program.

“It is unclear what the economic activity generated by the Energy Star program is versus what the economic activity would be without this program, as this program does not preclude the purchase or sales of any product,” the e-mailed statement said, in part. “The Trump EPA is committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and a program that essentially is a government-sponsored advertising scheme doesn’t seem like a good use of hard-working Americans’ money.”