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Purchasing & Procurement
Purchasing efficient products reduces energy costs without compromising quality for corporations, institutions, and governments. Take the steps outlined below to learn more about ENERGY STAR qualified products and specify them in your purchasing policies and contracts.
Step 1: Modify your Procurement Language
Specify ENERGY STAR products quickly and easily. All products that earn the ENERGY STAR are certified by independent organizations to ensure that they deliver the energy savings promised by the label. The following single clause in a contract is all that is needed:
The Vendor Must:
Provide products that earn the ENERGY STAR and meet the ENERGY STAR specifications for energy efficiency. The vendor is encouraged to visit energystar.gov for complete product specifications and updated lists of qualifying products.
Related information:
- Federal agencies should use the FAR clause 52.223-15 Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products in all applicable contracts and solicitations.
Step 2: Educate your Vendors and Personnel
Institutions have a wide range of purchasing options. Therefore, organizations should educate purchasing agents, upper management, and key stakeholders about their ENERGY STAR purchasing requirements, savings benefits, and available mechanisms for making these purchases. Use this template 
to help your organization reach out to these stakeholders.
Step 3: Choose ENERGY STAR Products to Purchase
All Products
Appliances
- Clothes Washers
- Dehumidifiers
- Dishwashers
- Freezers
- Refrigerators
- Room Air Cleaners & Purifiers
- Water Coolers
Building Products
Computers & Electronics
Heating & Cooling
Building Products
Commercial Appliances
Commercial Food Service Equipment
Computers & Electronics
Heating & Cooling
New Products in Development
One of the main goals of the ENERGY STAR program is to develop performance-based specifications that determine the most efficient products in a particular category. Products that meet these specifications earn the ENERGY STAR label.
Revision to Existing Products
ENERGY STAR specifications are then periodically revised to ensure relevancy under current market conditions. EPA and DOE strive to make certain that specifications differentiate the most efficient products and move the market toward more energy-saving designs.
Suspended Specifications
ENERGY STAR has suspended specifications for the following products:
- Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes
- Exit Signs
- External Power Supplies
- Programmable Thermostats
- Traffic Signals
- Transformers
These products do not have an ENERGY STAR label:
Battery Chargers External chargers used for products like power tools, yard care equipment and small household appliances, etc.
Displays Includes products such as computer monitors, digital picture frames, and professional signage.
Imaging Equipment Includes products such as copiers and fax machines, digital duplicators, mailing machines, and printers, scanners and all-in-ones.
Related information:
- View DOE FEMP purchasing specifications used be Federal Procurement Officials.
Step 4: Estimate your Potential Savings
Use these MS Excel-based 
calculators to estimate how much money and energy you can save purchasing ENERGY STAR products. For questions contact calculators@energystar.gov.
Appliances
- Appliance Calculator
Includes:
- Air Purifiers (Cleaners)
- Clothes Washers
- Compact Refrigerators
- Dehumidifiers
- Dishwashers
- Freezers
- Refrigerators
Commercial Food Service Equipment
- Commercial Kitchen Calculator
Includes:
- Commercial Dishwashers
- Commercial Freezers
- Commercial Refrigerators
- Commercial Fryers
- Commercial Griddles
- Commercial Hot Food Holding Cabinets
- Commercial Ice Machines
- Commercial Ovens
- Commercial Steam Cookers
Commercial Products
Consumer Electronics Products
- Consumer Electronics Calculator
Includes:
- Audio/Video
- TVs
Heating & Cooling Products
Lighting Products
- Lighting Calculator
Includes:
- CFLs
- Residential Light Fixtures
Office Equipment Products
- Office Equipment Calculator
Includes:
- Computers
- Imaging Equipment
- Displays
Products with Suspended Specifications
More Help from ENERGY STAR
- Online training on ENERGY STAR Purchasing and Procurement
- Read Case Studies about organizations that have implemented successful purchasing programs.
- Contact ENERGY STAR directly at espurchasing@cadmusgroup.com and we can:
- Help you estimate the savings potential of an ENERGY STAR purchasing program or the realized savings of an existing program.
- Review your purchasing policy and help you draft language that specifies ENERGY STAR purchasing.
- Assist in the development of communications that explain the benefits of a change in purchasing policy to upper management, purchasing agents, and employees.
