Trump administration plans to end Energy Star program for home appliances
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to end Energy Star, a popular program whose iconic blue labels have certified the energy efficiency of home appliances for more than three decades, according to three people briefed on the matter and documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
During an all-hands meeting Monday of the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection, Trump administration officials announced that the office would be dissolved and that Energy Star would be eliminated, the three people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Officials also outlined the changes in slide presentations obtained by Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The presentations, which were shared with The Post, state that “staff in restructured/eliminated organizations may be reassigned to other positions.”
The end of Energy Star, first reported by CNN, builds on the Trump administration’s broader attacks on energy efficiency standards for appliances found in millions of American homes. Such standards have become a flash point in the nation’s culture wars and a source of conservative resistance to President Joe Biden’s environmental agenda.
Yet the decision is likely to draw pushback on Capitol Hill, where Energy Star has historically enjoyed modest bipartisan support. A handful of moderate Republican senators have championed the program, saying it has helped consumers reduce their energy bills while improving the efficiency of refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and other appliances.
An EPA spokesperson did not directly respond to questions about the end of Energy Star. In an email, the spokesperson said the agency is undergoing a reorganization that affects the Office of Air and Radiation, which includes the Office of Atmospheric Protection.
“With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,” the spokesperson said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who in recent years has championed energy efficiency initiatives, declined to comment when approached by a reporter Tuesday.
Ben Evans, federal legislative director at the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit group that advocates for energy efficiency programs, said axing Energy Star “would be incredibly shortsighted” and would undermine efforts by the U.S. DOGE Service, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, to save taxpayers money.
“Energy Star saves consumers and businesses more than $40 billion every year just by giving them clear information about the energy efficiency of products or buildings,” he said. “And it does that at a cost of $32 million. So it is an incredible bang for the buck.”
Evans added that homebuilders can currently claim a $2,500 federal tax credit for building to Energy Star standards. However, the fate of those credits is uncertain as congressional Republicans seek to scrap the subsidies established by Biden’s signature 2022 climate law.
Also unclear is the fate of federal tax credits of up to $3,200 for homeowners who make energy efficiency upgrades. At the moment, households can receive credits of up to $500 for installing doors that meet Energy Star requirements and up to $600 for installing windows and skylights that achieve the standards.
Since 1992, Energy Star has helped American families and businesses save more than $500 billion in energy costs, according to a 2023 federal report. It has also prevented roughly 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering Earth’s atmosphere — the equivalent emissions reduction of taking more than 933 million gasoline-powered cars off the nation’s roads for a year.
President Donald Trump floated canceling or privatizing Energy Star during his first term, but that plan didn’t materialize before he left office. Now, his partial budget proposal calls for eliminating the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection but is silent on Energy Star. The office, according to the proposal, “is an overreach of Government authority that imposes unnecessary and radical climate change regulations on businesses and stifles economic growth.”
The Energy Department also plays a small role in running Energy Star, and Trump’s budget calls for slashing around $2.6 billion from the agency’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. A spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which represents companies that make a variety of appliances, suggested that the EPA could transfer Energy Star to the Energy Department.
“AHAM supports the continuation of a streamlined ENERGY STAR program which could be managed through the Department of Energy,” spokeswoman Jill Notini said in an email. “Moving the program to DOE would meet the administration’s goals of preserving a full selection of products from which consumers can choose, and also reducing unnecessary regulatory burden.”
Trump has long targeted efficiency standards for appliances, blaming showerhead guidelines in particular for ruining his “perfect” hair. In April, the president signed an executive order lifting restrictions on how much water can be used by showerheads, saying his administration would “make America’s showers great again.”
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• Hannah Natanson contributed.