The Latest On: unplugged
April 19, 2013
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Improving Energy Efficiency a Gray Box at a Time
In 2007, we filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's weak energy efficiency standards for electricity distribution transformers, those gray boxes mounted on utility poles that power all our homes and businesses. The results of that lawsuit are new standards from the U.S. Department of Energy that were published in the Federal Register on Thursday.
March 11, 2013
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Clothes Dryers Need Labels, Too
Few household appliances use as much energy or get replaced as rarely as clothes dryers. And unlike with most other household appliances, you won’t learn this when you are shopping for a new model.
The typical dryer uses more energy than the typical refrigerator, clothes washer, or dishwasher. But unlike all three of those products, dryers do not have to display yellow-and-black Energy Guide labels disclosing their energy costs.
March 7, 2013
| Blog Post
FTC Resisting Common-Sense Changes To Refrigerator Labels
Would you give ENERGY STAR to a sport-utility vehicle? What about a sport-utility refrigerator?
January 4, 2013
| Blog Post
Unplugged: No More Game of Hide-and-Seek for Consumers
If you are one of the millions of American consumers who shop or browse online for major appliances and would like to know the environmental impact your new purchase will have, we’ve got some good news. The Federal Trade Commission has finally updated its newly named Energy Labeling Rule to make it easier for you to compare models and to know the energy consumption (and operating cost) of new products.
December 3, 2012
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Midea Fined Millions For Wasteful Freezers
The Department of Energy on Thursday levied the biggest penalty in the 37-year history of the appliance energy efficiency standards program. It fined China-based Midea Corp. $4.5 million because of hundreds of thousands of inefficient compact freezers the company made.
November 13, 2012
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Sunstein Likes Standards Blocked By His Office
Either he has finally seen the light, or he just has a lot of nerve.
August 24, 2012
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Stop Energy Hogs At The Border
In June of 1976, the country had not yet marked its bicentennial. Gerald Ford was still president, Wings’ “Silly Love Songs” was topping the charts, and the customs service had not yet been transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. Point is: June 1976 was a really long time ago.
August 16, 2012
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Happy Motoring!
If you say the word “motor” to most people, they would probably think first of the motor in their car. Many people understandably take a great interest in the gasoline or diesel engine that gets them around. But while amateur mechanics across the country may spend their weekends fussing over these motors, I’ve yet to see grease-covered enthusiasts gathered in a garage discussing the horsepower of their washing machines.
August 1, 2012
| Blog Post
Unplugged: Where’s EnergyGuide?
When the Government Accountability Office studied energy efficiency labeling in 2007, it found a surprising number of products on display in appliance stores were missing required labels. A year later, the Federal Trade Commission conducted a similar study. It likewise found that significant numbers of products were missing labels. In both cases, labels for many products on display were hard to find, difficult to read, or detached from the product.