Ready, willing, and label

Two of a kind can be a good thing in a card game, but it’s not so great when you’re filing energy data with government agencies.  For manufacturers weary of sending the same information to both the FTC and the Department of Energy, here’s some good news.  Now, energy data filers can do some one-stop shopping by submitting their required reports to a single place:  the Department of Energy’s new online database, known as the Compliance Certification Management System (CCMS).  The FTC has announced this streamlined reporting process as part of its ongoing review of the Appliance Labeling Rule, now retitled the “Energy Labeling Rule.”  Find out more in this just-published FTC notice.

In addition to an easier reporting process, the notice contains other measures to improve energy labeling for consumers and industry members.  For instance, beginning January 15, 2014, online retailers will include an image of the EnergyGuide or Lighting Facts label for products they sell.  In the past, websites could post energy data rather than the actual label.  This new approach will ensure consumers see the same labels online that they see in stores.  To help websites provide this information, manufacturers will post copies of the labels for their products on their own websites beginning July 15, 2013.

The new rules also clarify the DOE testing requirements that manufacturers must use to calculate energy information for FTC labels.  This will help ensure that manufacturers use the same testing procedures to generate FTC labels and to meet DOE efficiency standards.

In a separate notice, the FTC is asking for feedback on several other changes to improve the energy labeling program.  First, the FTC has drafted new refrigerator and clothes washer labels to help consumers comparison shop on the heels of significant, impending changes to test methods and efficiency levels for those products.  In addition, we’ve proposed updates to comparability information on EnergyGuide labels for several products types.  Finally, the FTC would like your comments on several small modifications to simplify and improve the information consumers get on the EnergyGuide label.  File online by the March 1, 2013, deadline.

Bookmark the Business Center's Appliances page for more on issues affecting your industry. 

In the market for appliances yourself?  Look for money-saving tips on the FTC's new consumer site.  For example, Shopping for Home Appliances? Use the EnergyGuide Label features everything prospective buyers need to know about using those ubiquitous yellow stickers to get the best deal.  For comparison shoppers, we also have brand- and model-specific data about appliance energy use.