Trump admin plans to shutter money-saving Energy Star program

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For years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program has helped consumers save a collective $40 billion in annual energy costs. Now, the Trump administration wants to wind it down, according to a report from CNN. 

The Energy Star program, which has a budget of $32 million, is a public-private partnership that works with appliance and electronics manufacturers to certify energy-efficient products while also helping consumers find rebates to lower the purchase cost.

“Eliminating the Energy Star program would directly contradict this administration’s promise to reduce household energy costs,” Paula Glover, president of the nonprofit coalition Alliance to Save Energy, said in a statement. The program delivers a 350-to-one return on investment, she added.

Energy Star was created in 1992 under President George H. W. Bush, and it was reauthorized in 2005 under President George W. Bush, placing oversight for the program under the EPA and the Department of Energy.

The program’s signature yellow labels appear on appliances and electronics for sale throughout the U.S., informing consumers of how much they’ll spend on electricity or natural gas throughout a year of typical use.

Energy Star saves the average U.S. household about $450 on their energy bills each year.