Posted on Wed, Dec. 09, 2009

By STEVE EVERLY   The Kansas City Star

Those yellow labels on appliances that declare how much power they will use and show you how much you will save because of their energy efficiency?

They may not be as truthful as you think.

Because of that doubt, the U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday that it was giving appliance makers 30 days to provide accurate information on their products’ energy use. Also, it promised to take a tougher stance to enforce energy-efficiency standards.

The agency said makers of such products as refrigerators, dishwashers and air conditioners have until Jan. 8 to provide the information, which is primarily used to certify that the appliances meet minimum energy-efficiency standards.

Appliance makers have used the efficiency labels for years in marketing and advertising their products. But the Energy Department said a review of previous filings for the labels found instances of missing or incorrect information.

After the 30-day, information-gathering period, the department said, expedited testing will be started to help determine if appliances deliver the energy efficiency they are supposed to.

Manufacturers that fall short could be fined.

“We will move forward aggressively in the weeks and months ahead,” said Jen Stutsman, a department spokeswoman.

Neither the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers nor Whirlpool, a major appliance manufacturer, returned calls seeking comment.

The department’s move comes as the Obama administration pushes energy efficiency and home weatherization for energy savings and as a boost to the economy.

A proposed “Cash for Caulkers” program was announced Tuesday. There are already incentives for consumers who buy efficient appliances.

Electric utilities planning for the future are increasingly eyeing energy-sipping air conditioners, heat pumps and other appliances that would reduce demand and limit the number of power plants they would have to build.

“The thing that keeps coming to the top is energy efficiency,” said Michael Chesser, chief executive officer of Great Plains Energy, the parent of Kansas City Power & Light.

The interest in energy efficiency, however, has also brought calls for better information about the products. The National Academy of Sciences on Wednesday issued a report saying that energy efficiency could reduce energy use by 20 percent by 2020.

But it also said there were obstacles to overcome for that to happen, including a shortage of “trustworthy” information for consumers about energy savings for energy-efficient products.

Lester Lave, chairman of the academy’s committee that produced the report, said his son recently purchased an LED lamp whose label claimed that it was 40 times more efficient than an incandescent lamp and that it would last for 150,000 hours.

“Both of these are false,” he said.

Energy efficiency has improved dramatically over the years. A new refrigerator supposedly uses about one-third of the energy of one built in 1974, according to the Energy Department.

A separate, existing program, Energy Star, is aimed at selecting the top tier of energy-efficient products. In some cases, the information requested by the department could be used for those selections, which it has also begun to scrutinize more closely.

On Monday, the agency said it would seek to ban some LG refrigerators from using the Energy Star label because of doubts about the efficiency tests the company was using.

LG is challenging the decision.

Reaction to the department’s moves has received support from those who hope they will eliminate confusion and ensure that all products are judged in a similar way.

“It will make our lives easier,” said Kevin Bryant, vice president of energy solutions for KCP&L.

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has been particularly skeptical of manufacturers’ energy-use figures.

Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor of the magazine, said the manufacturers have done the testing and basically certified their own products. Until recently, manufacturers were not even required to use dirty dishes in their dishwasher tests.

“We welcome the Department of Energy doing more,” she said.

To reach Steve Everly, call 816-234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.