Learn the Energy Star Guidelines

Perhaps more than any other consumer product, shopping for an HVAC system can be a hazardous undertaking. Make the wrong choice and you’re stuck with an energy-wasting system that doesn’t heat or cool your entire house. And since these systems are intended to last a decade or two, it might be a long time before you can correct that error.

Thankfully, the federal government has a program, Energy Star, that will help you avoid making a big mistake when shopping for HVAC systems and other energy-consuming appliances and electronics.

Run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, the Energy Star program sets minimum standards for appliances and products. Energy Star-certified products receive a distinctive blue logo. The program covers a wide range of products, including A/Cs, furnaces and heat pumps; freezers and refrigerators; clothes and dishwashers and dryers; TVs, computer monitors and other electronics; residential windows, doors and insulation; lights and ceiling fans; and much more.

The program is intended not only to help consumers select energy-efficient, well-performing products, but to reduce emissions that contribute to pollution and climate change. The program is offered in Canada and other countries as well.

Before a product can earn the Energy Star logo, it must:

• Show that the product can produce substantial energy savings across the country.
• Offer performance levels and features expected by consumers shopping in that line of products. For example, a product that saves energy but has issues with reliability and breakdowns probably won’t get the Energy Star.
• Offset any additional purchase price with energy savings during a reasonable amount of time. That means while you may pay a bit more for an Energy Star-certified appliance or product, over time its energy savings will pay for that extra cost.
• Not be limited to one manufacturer or a proprietary technology.
• Have verifiable and measurable energy consumption and savings.

To make the right decision on your new heating or cooling system, and to work with a contractor that offers Energy Star-certified systems and products, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We serve Lorain and surrounding communities.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Energy Star guidelines and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.

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