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NIST and the Yellow Sticker Conspiracy: The Energy Efficiency of Your Appliances |
The yellow energy-efficiency stickers on new major appliances enable consumers to compare big-ticket products. NIST developed measurment protocols underlying the numbers on the stickers. |
Well it isn't exactly a
conspiracy, but it's hard not to notice the little yellow stickers that come on new
household appliances like fridges, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, dishwashers,
stoves, washers and dryers. They are there by a 1975 act of Congress--the Energy Policy
and Conservation Act. It directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish test
procedures and energy conservation standards for certain household appliances. The goal
was to achieve the maximum improvement in energy efficiency without making the appliances
too expensive to make or to buy. DOE turned to the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish the standards and testing
protocols by which different appliance models, brands and designs could be assessed for
their energy efficiency and cost of operation. As a result, since the late 1980s,
consumers have been able to look at numbers on the yellow stickers and quickly compare the
up front and downstream costs of appliances they are considering buying. According to DOE, current appliance standards already have saved consumers $1.9 billion in energy costs and ultimately will save $58 billion over the lifetimes of appliances installed between 1990 and 2015. An amendment to the original Energy Policy and Conservation Act directs DOE to establish performance standards for a range of additional energy-consuming devices, including light bulbs and heat pumps. Once again, NIST researchers will be central in realizing this legislative mandate. |
| Links: | To get an overview of the many ways NIST researchers are
working to improve the efficiency, comfort and quality of homes, hop over to NIST's Mechanical Systems and Controls Group,
which is part of NIST's Building and Fire Research
Laboratory. Here are a couple of projects relevant to energy efficiency of home appliances: |