ENERGY STAR Strengthens Efficiency Claims With Third Party Verification
As discussions around energy efficiency claims and "greenwashing" gain momentum across various industries, there becomes an increasing demand for third-party verification. Federal energy efficiency programs like ENERGY STAR® recognize this need and have recently turned to reputable industry leaders such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to help build on their successes.
Recently, ENERGY STAR announced that effective January 1, 2011, the program will require that any product seeking certification prove energy performance prior to product labeling and undergo post-market verification testing to validate continuing energy performance. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the products that were ENERGY STAR qualified prior to the January 1 implementation date will bypass the recertification process; however, they will be included in the certification bodies' verification testing program to ensure continued compliance.
UL Environment, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of UL and global leader in environmental evaluation and certification, earned accreditation as an approved third-party certification body for the ENERGY STAR program. UL Environment is one of only six certification bodies to earn the accreditation. UL Environment will conduct efficiency performance testing and certification for various stages in the product life cycle, from manufacture, to sale and use.
UL is committed to supporting the EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) in strengthening ENERGY STAR's reputation for energy performance. As a third-party certification body, UL Environment's claims validation services will improve the integrity of claims made under the program's umbrella, giving consumers confidence in the validity of energy efficiency labels.
Accredited testing organizations are required to comply with ISO 17025 for testing, calibrations and sampling, as well as EPA Guide 65 for bodies operating product certification systems.
For further information, contact Truda Chow.
