May 15th, 2025
Hey team, and welcome back to one5c!! Yes, two exclamation points today, because I’ve got some extremely exciting news: We’re kicking off a series of virtual discussions with authors, filmmakers, and great climate minds. The first installment is a conversation with author Hugh Howey, whose Silo series is the basis for the hit Apple TV+ show of the same name. We’ll be discussing Wool, the first book of the series, and how the specter of climate change underpins the post-apocalyptic story.
Want to join? Only Premium Members can attend, and we’ll send out a registration link with more details soon. Not a Premium Member? Upgrade here. Now back to our regularly scheduled newsletter, which comes from contributor Maddy Lauria. —Corinne
What could happen to appliance efficiency without Energy Star?
By Maddy Lauria
Energy Star has saved Americans some $500 billion in energy costs and offset around 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions since its inception in 1992. The EPA-run program’s certifications and bright blue labels guide consumers toward the best-of-the-best products in terms of efficiency and potential energy cost savings. Not only is it iconic (nearly 90% of American households recognize the stickers), it can save a typical home about $450 on their energy bills each year.
As of early May, the program may be in trouble. The Trump administration’s planned budget cuts and EPA reorganization eliminate the division that oversees Energy Star, which is only one of the late-breaking setbacks for home-based energy efficiency. Dozens of Department of Energy regulations, including efficiency requirements for appliances, are now on the chopping block.
For ordinary Americans, losing Energy Star would be losing a resource that has helped them identify and buy more energy-efficient appliances, from dishwashers to clothes dryers, for decades. “We would just be moving to a world where consumers are making decisions with, likely, less information,” says Christopher Knittel, MIT Sloan School of Management’s associate dean for climate and sustainability. “And that often reduces the efficiency of the market.”
But how stressed should we be to see this little sticker disappear? And what does it mean for your next big appliance purchase? We did some digging.
What would the cut mean for today’s appliances?
First things first, the program hasn’t been cut—yet. Even if it is eliminated, appliance manufacturers will still produce efficient products because consumers want them, says Jill Notini of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, a group that represents 150 companies. A March survey from Consumer Reports found that 87% of people want standards that push for energy efficiency.
Eliminating the program won’t do anything to change the machines available on the market today, she says. It’s also worth remembering that product development cycles are long—sometimes as long as 5 years—so it’s not as if a change today means a more-power-hungry fridge will be on the floor at Home Depot next month.
Even before Energy Star debuted in the early ’90s, the Department of Energy had been setting standards for appliances for almost a decade, and those benchmarks have been revised to stricter limits eight times since. An average clothes washing machine—not even an Energy Star–certified one—sips at least 70% less juice as one from three decades ago. “The industry isn’t going backward,” Notini says. The key difference, though, is appliances that earn an Energy Star badge surpass those minimum federal requirements
But other experts like Catherine Wolfram, former deputy assistant secretary for climate and energy at the U.S. Treasury and an applied economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are more skeptical of how the industry will behave without Energy Star as an incentive. Earning the certification is voluntary, so losing it would mean manufacturers would have to take it upon themselves to add information about efficiency and make better products. “And we’re certainly not certain they’re going to want to do that,” adds MIT Sloan’s Knittel.
How can customers shop without Energy Star?
Without Energy Star, consumers will need to get comfortable doing a little digging. While today’s appliances are significantly better than their pre–Energy Star counterparts, their efficiency does still vary—albeit not as much as, say, between a diesel truck and an electric vehicle. You can always go to the showroom ready to grill the salespeople, but if you’re doing your own legwork, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Focus on companies with good reps
It’s worth investigating which companies are good actors in their own right. Miele and Samsung, for example, are both lauded for their energy-efficient appliances. A company focused on efficiency should publish and post a sustainability report on its website, which will detail its efforts—including anything the firm’s doing to reduce emissions.
Buy only what you need
When it comes to individual appliances, it’s important to consider size and how much you’re going to be using it. You might not need an Instagrammable French-door fridge if you’re not feeding a full house, and, in this case, a compact “European”-sized oven (usually less than 30 inches wide) might provide all the cooking room you need.
Try not to get swept up in sales
Wolfram advises trying not to get tempted by models with a lower upfront cost, because bargain or base models often run less efficiently. That means saving now may lead to higher energy costs in the long run. Cheaper items can also have shorter lifespans, she adds—and the most sustainable thing any of us can do is to keep the appliances we already have running for as long as we can.
Look for other marks of efficiency
There are several other recognized certifications outside of Energy Star that can point consumers towards companies and products that are environmentally responsible, such as Greenguard and SMaRT. Many large appliances also come with the EnergyGuide yellow placard made by the Federal Trade Commission, which compares the energy consumption of the product to other products and estimates the annual cost to run the appliance.
Product Review
The best reusable straw
Paper or plastic? Nope! The top sipper is stainless steel. Read the full review.
THE ROUNDUP
IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
The USDA is returning climate information on adaptation, mitigation, weather patterns, and more to its websites after farmers sued the government. The suit said the actions, on top of making running their agricultural businesses more difficult, were “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion.”
Big Dairy isn’t doing enough to slim its methane emissions, according to research from the Changing Markets Foundation. Of 20 major dairy companies and coffee companies, only six accounted for methane in their reporting and only two demonstrated any reductions. Three groups (Dunkin’, Froneri, and Starbucks) failed to recognize livestock methane emissions as a climate problem at all.
Men have 26% larger carbon footprints than women, and a lot of it can be boiled down to an affinity for red meat and driving, according to new research from the London School of Economics. Some parts of this discrepancy can be explained by socioeconomic factors, biological differences, and travel disparities, but 38% of the gap is unaccounted for. (Time to look at the influence of the manosphere, perhaps?)
The House Ways and Means Committee approved cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act on Wednesday, reports Axios. The proposed budget draft would unravel investments and tax cuts for nuclear power, wind, solar, batteries, geothermal, and other clean tech beginning in 2028, and eliminate these climate benefits completely in 2031.
5 months into NYC’s congestion pricing program, which charges cars entering the city’s high-traffic areas, it has delivered on almost every promise: 76,000 fewer cars on the street, 15% faster drive times, up to 13% increased ridership on public transit, 14% fewer car-related injuries, reports The New York Times. What we don’t know quite yet: how much it’s impacted pollution.
Copyright © 2025 one5c. All rights reserved.
Logo design by Claudia De Almeida
Questions? Feedback? Contact the editors at one5c@one5c.com.
Our mailing address is:
3112 Windsor Rd, Ste A-391, Austin, TX 78703