Programmable Thermostats Specification

The ENERGY STAR specification for programmable thermostats is currently under review. This specification has not been revised since April 1, 1995. EPA is committed to finalizing a new ENERGY STAR specification by March 2009 which would go into effect on or before January 1, 2010. If new program requirements are not identified in this timeframe, a suspenstion of the ENERGY STAR specification for programmable thermostats will go into effect as of December 31, 2009, meaning that the ENERGY STAR label will not be available for this product category at this time. Partners and other interested parties wishing to provide proposals for new performance specification for programmable thermostats may contact Christopher Kent, by email at kent.christopher@epa.gov or by US mail at:

US EPA Headquarters
6202J
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460

Documents Related to Final Version 1.2 Specification

Documents Related to Revised Partner Commitments

ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostat Educational Campaign Meeting

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Washington, DC

This meeting addressed the latest thinking in terms of the new ENERGY STAR mark and messaging for programmable thermostats. EPA will send out additional correspondence shortly about next steps for partners and interested parties. Please find the presentation and meeting notes attached below:

EPA asked for comments on the Draft Partnership Agreement and Program Requirements for manufacturer review. All comments should be sent to Gwen Duff, ICF International, via e-mail at gduff@icfi.com. Below please find these documents for your review and comment:

ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostat Industry Meeting

Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Washington, DC

This meeting addressed EPA’s latest efforts to revise the specification. EPA presented a proposal for discussion and feedback looking at transitioning ENERGY STAR for programmable thermostats toward an educational campaign focused on user behavior. All interested stakeholders will have until Monday, February 27, 2006 to provide feedback on this proposal. Below are all of the documents pertaining to the meeting:

Stakeholder Comments on Programmable Thermostat Proposal

Programmable thermostat manufacturers and other interested parties have been encouraged to submit written comments on EPA’s Programmable Thermostat Proposal. To date, EPA has been given permission to post the following comments. Please note that these do not comprise all of the comments received by EPA; only those EPA has received permission to post.

Draft 2 Programmable Thermostat Specification

Stakeholder Update: February 27, 2004 PDF (32KB)

Draft 1 Programmable Thermostat Specification

Draft 1: Programmable Thermostat Specification, Version 2.0 PDF (162KB)

Memo to Manufacturers on Programmable Thermostat Specification Review

ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostat Industry Meeting

Monday, October 27, 2003
Portland, Oregon

In conjunction with the ENERGY STAR HVAC Partner Meeting, EPA hosted a separate meeting with manufacturers and other interested stakeholders to discuss the latest Draft 1 version of the revised programmable thermostat specification. Below are all of the documents pertaining to the meeting:

Presentations: