Utility bills could rise as Trump's EPA to end Energy Star program, experts warn [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Wed 7 May 2025 11.19 EDT
Last modified on Wed 7 May 2025 12.44 EDT
US customers could face higher energy bills, experts have warned, amid reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to end the Energy Star program whose blue labels have certified energy efficiency on home appliances for more than 30 years.
“If you wanted to raise families’ energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the non-profit research organization the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily. There’s a reason this program has been so popular with consumers and manufacturers alike.”
In March, hundreds of companies and groups signed a letter urging the EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, to maintain full funding and staffing levels in the program. The reports of its elimination come after Donald Trump has railed against showers and toilets that conserve water. In April, he signed an executive order to “restore shower freedom”.
The plans to close the popular Energy Star program, first reported by CNN and the Washington Post, would come as part of wider agency cuts and the dissolution of the EPA’s office of atmospheric protection (OAP) and the office of air quality planning and standards.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/07/energy-star-program-ends-utility-bills
= new reply since forum marked as read