These are tempestuous times for the government’s popular Energy Star program, jointly administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. In the midst of rebate programs encouraging consumers to buy Energy Star appliances, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report showing how the certification process for the Energy Star program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

To perform the investigation, the GAO used four bogus manufacturing firms and fictitious individuals to apply for Energy Star partnership and submitted 20 fictitious products with fake energy-savings claims for Energy Star certification. GAO also reviewed program documents and interviewed agency officials and officials from agency Inspector General (IG) offices.

GAO obtained Energy Star certifications for 15 bogus products, including a gas-powered alarm clock. Two bogus products were rejected by the program and three did not receive a response. In addition, two of the bogus Energy Star firms developed by GAO received requests from real companies to purchase products because the bogus firms were listed as Energy Star partners.

GAO found that, for bogus products, certification controls were ineffective primarily because Energy Star does not verify energy-savings data reported by manufacturers. Energy Star required only four of the 20 products GAO submitted for certification to be verified by an independent third party. For two of those cases GAO found that controls were effective because the program required an independent verification by a specific firm chosen by Energy Star. However, in another case because Energy Star failed to verify information provided, GAO was able to circumvent this control by certifying that a product met a specific safety standard for ozone emission.

(A more detailed summary and the complete report can be found at: www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-470.)

The EPA and DOE issued a formal response to the report saying they take the findings very seriously, but suggested that consumers can still have confidence in the Energy Star label. The response said that a 2009 review found that 98 percent of the Energy Star products tested met or exceeded the Energy Star requirements, and that in that same year Americans saved $17 billion on their energy bills with the help of Energy Star.

The response concluded by saying that the agencies welcome all efforts, internal or external, to improve the program, and that they had already initiated efforts to enhance testing and enforcement actions.

The latter referred to the agencies’ earlier joint announcement about their specific plans to strengthen the Energy Star program. In addition to third-party testing already underway, EPA and DOE launched a new two-step process to expand testing of Energy Star qualified products.

In the first step, DOE began tests on six of the most common appliances: freezers, refrigerator-freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, water heaters and room air conditioners. These products account for at least 25 percent of a typical homeowner’s energy bill. Within the next few months, DOE will test approximately 200 basic models at third-party, independent test laboratories.

In the second step, the EPA and DOE are developing an expanded system that will require all products seeking the Energy Star label to be tested in approved labs and require manufacturers to participate in an ongoing verification testing program that will ensure continued compliance.

The agencies said they are also getting tougher on enforcement of Energy Star program guidelines, as well as minimum appliance efficiency standards in general. (See story below.) The agencies acknowledged that Energy Star violations get a lot of media attention, and said that was a good thing, since it will provide a strong incentive for companies to follow the rules.

DOE GETS TOUGH

In March, the Department of Energy announced it would strengthen enforcement of appliance energy efficiency standards and backed up that claim with three moves in the same month.

On March 30, DOE said would require AeroSys, Inc. to stop distributing two product models – one air conditioner and one heat pump - that DOE testing found to consume more energy than allowed under federal efficiency standards. The agency said it was the first time that it has told a company that it must halt the distribution of products that fail to meet minimum conservation standards. “This action is designed to send a clear message to all manufacturers – this administration takes energy efficiency seriously and we will act aggressively to remove any products from the market that are violating national appliance standards,” said DOE General Counsel Scott Blake Harris. “We will continue to take the steps necessary to protect American consumers and the environment from wasteful and inefficient appliances.”

The week before that, DOE said it had opened an investigation to determine whether certain air conditioners and heat pump products manufactured by Air Con International comply with federal energy efficiency standards. The agency issued a subpoena that requires Air Con to submit detailed information about the energy consumption of its products and how Air Con marketed and sold them in the U.S.

That same week, DOE opened an investigation into the efficiency of lighting products. The agency issued subpoenas to three companies who were identified as selling certain torchiere lamps that failed to meet federal energy efficiency standards. Under the subpoenas, Target Corp., Adesso, Inc., and Habitex Corp. are required to submit detailed information about the design of these products and how the companies marketed and sold them in the U.S.

SMART PHONE ADDICTION

A survey by researchers at Stanford University revealed a not-terribly surprising fact – Apple’s iPhone can be addictive. The survey was given to 200 students who owned iPhones. On a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 representing addiction to the device, 10 percent admitted full addiction, and another 34 percent ranked their dependence at 4. Nearly 85 percent of iPhone owners use the device as their watch, and 89 percent as their alarm clock. The latter is not surprising, given that 75 percent of the students admit to falling asleep with the iPhone in bed with them.

HAIER AND GE

In March, both the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese appliance maker Haier is working with General Electric Co. to sell and distribute GE Appliances in rural China. Neither company has made an official announcement. Haier’s sales of appliances in China have jumped significantly due to government subsidies that encourage rural residents to trade in old appliances for new ones.

AUSTRALIAN APPLIANCE ANGST

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that its investigation into appliance efficiency in Australia found that one in three appliances audited for energy efficiency is either unfit for sale or has exaggerated environmental credentials. The newspaper tested 171 appliances from January 2007 to June 2008 and discovered that 38 per cent failed the Australian federal government’s minimum energy performance requirements or understated the energy consumption on initial screening. The poorest performing categories were refrigerators, air conditioners, and dishwashers.

SET TOP SET TO GO

Open-standard secure media networking is a new disruptive technology in the pay-TV distribution system that will displace at least 32 million set-top boxes by the end of 2015, replacing them either with an open-standard thin client called a “pay-TV DMA” or eliminating them entirely as TVs begin to integrate pay-TV DMA functions, according to IMS Research. The research firm forecasts that by the end of 2015 there will be 89 million homes with active open-standard secure media networks based on DLNA & DTCP-IP, up from 1.6 million at the end of 2009. IMS Research says that the ability to securely move video around a home network using open-standards opens up the architecture of the set-top box and home gateway, allowing any function to be located anywhere on the home network, or in some cases beyond it. In the U.S., several cable and satellite operators are using the DLNA + DTCP-IP open-standard framework to minimize the number of boxes that include proprietary technology as they roll out multi-room DVR services. Several deployments are beginning in 2010.

PRBA OPPOSES BATTERY RULE

PRBA - The Rechargeable Battery Association has recommended that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) drop its proposed rule on the air shipment of lithium cells and batteries and instead adopt the International Civil Aviation Organization requirements in effect since 2009 but never implemented in the U.S. PRBA’s position is that the PHMSA proposal would impose new and internationally-inconsistent requirements on the shipments every year of 340 million or more laptop computers, cell phones, power tools, digital cameras, life-saving medical equipment, and other consumer electronic products powered by lithium ion batteries. It would divert a significant amount of business from U.S. cargo air carriers, disrupt sophisticated product distribution systems, and frustrate ongoing government efforts to develop next-generation hybrid and electric vehicles powered by lithium ion batteries. A comprehensive, independent economic analysis commissioned by PRBA shows the proposal would impose direct costs on the U.S. economy of more than $1.1 billion in the first year and more than $8.5 billion over the next decade. (For more information on this issue, see Association Report on page 32.)

SMART PHONES TO QUADRUPLE

The demand for smart phones is creating a demographic shift among users, who will exceed 1 billion worldwide by 2014, stimulating demand for more entry-level models that offer mainstream solutions such as mobile email and social networking. The projection comes from Smartphone: King of Convergence, a study produced by Parks Associates.

TV ENERGY LABELS COMING

The Federal Trade Commission proposed requiring that EnergyGuide labels appear on televisions sold in the U.S. so that consumers shopping for TVs will have more information about the energy use of different models. The familiar yellow-and-black rectangular labels currently are required on many consumer appliances, such as clothes washers and refrigerators, and provide useful information such as the estimated yearly cost of operating the appliance and the cost range compared to other similar models. Public comments on the proposed rule are due by May 14, 2010.

AHRI SIGNS AGREEMENTS

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has signed a tripartite agreement with the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) and the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA), establishing the basis for cooperation on the development and harmonization of standards and laying the groundwork for cooperation on performance and certification programs in the future.

AHRI has also signed cooperative agreements with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Association (SASO) and the United Arab Emirate’s Emirates Standardization and Metrology Authority, ESMA, aimed at further harmonizing HVACR and water heating testing and rating standards globally

ZIGBEE NEWS

The ZigBee Alliance and the Wi-Fi Alliance announced an agreement to collaborate on wireless home area networks (HAN) for Smart Grid applications. The initial focus of the collaboration will be ZigBee Smart energy 2.0, which is the next-generation energy management protocol for Smart-Grid enabled homes.

The ZigBee Alliance announced its intention to expand its participation in the European Union’s various standardization efforts. The Alliance will focus on the EU’s Smart Grid Programs and on meeting the needs of the EU implementation of ZigBee Smart Energy in the Home Area Network (HAN).

The ZigBee Alliance announced two of its popular standards, ZigBee Home Automation and ZigBee Remote Control, are now available for public download. The Home Automation application features expanded security and device support, and offer control for home appliances, lighting, energy use and security. The Remote Control offers flexible control from nearby rooms by enabling a unique two-way communication between the remote and the device.

WHIRLPOOL ADDS OTTAWA

Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., announced that the former W.C. Wood manufacturing site in Ottawa, Ohio will become an official Whirlpool Corp. manufacturing site, effective May 3, 2010, with 190 full-time employees. This decision follows a strategic internal study that evaluated location sites for the company's production of freezers.

MICROWAVE MARKET

Once widely acknowledged as a luxury gadget, the microwave oven is now an indispensable part of a well-furnished modern kitchen. Global Industry Analysts, Inc. report the world market for microwave ovens is projected to reach 72.5 million units by the year 2015. This is primarily driven by the replacement demand, niche product developments and revamped old product lines, and rising income level and living standards throughout Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe.

NEW RULES FOR WATER HEATERS

The Department of Energy Secretary finalized higher energy efficiency standards for a key group of heating appliances that include residential water heaters, pool heaters, and direct heating equipment such as gas fireplaces. These appliance groups account for about 18 percent of energy use in homes across the country.

The standards will significantly reduce energy consumption by these products, including decreasing energy use in large electric storage water heaters by 47 percent and by more than 30 percent in large gas water heaters. The standards for water heaters will go into effect in 2015, while the standards for pool heaters and direct heating equipment – including gas-fired wall, floor and hearth heaters – will apply to products manufactured in 2013 and beyond.

The agency said that the new rules will together save consumers up to $10 billion and prevent up to 164 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years. In addition, the rules will reduce air pollution, achieving an emissions reduction equivalent to taking 46 million cars off the road for one year.

According to DOE, for most product sizes sold, the new standards can be met with modest changes, such as adding more insulation to today’s conventional tank-style water heaters. However, for the biggest products, such as those with more than 55 gallons in storage capacity, the new standards will likely require advanced technologies such as heat pumps for electrically-powered products and condensing technology for gas products. Those larger products account for about 9 percent of the electric water heater market and 4 percent of the gas water heater market.

GOOD VIBRATIONS

A new dental device was designed to take the fear and pain out of dental injections. Product design firm, Bresslergroup, Philadelphia, teamed with Dr. Steven G. Goldberg, DDS, to design the easy-to-use tool DentalVibe. According to the design firm, research shows that fear of a painful anesthetic injection keeps half the patient population away from the dentist. To overcome that fear, the DentalVibe employs the Gate Control Theory of pain management, which refers to creating a diversion for the brain. The handheld tool rapidly vibrates the oral mucosa (gum tissue) surrounding the injection site. These rapid vibrations are processed in the patient’s brain, while the injection is simultaneously administered. The patient’s brain registers the vibrations, not the pain. The instrument also retracts the lips and illuminates the injection area. These additional features help avoid accidental needle sticks and greatly enhance operator visibility.

MAGNETIC SOLDER

Yale University scientists have developed a magnetic, lead-free solder that can be manipulated in three dimensions and selectively heated. Their research was motivated by recent regulations in Europe and Japan banning lead in solder, which traditionally was a tin-lead alloy. An alternative solution developed by Ainissa Ramirez her colleagues is a non-toxic solder made of tin-silver containing iron particles. Not only is using a tin-silver alloy an environmental advantage, the addition of iron particles has other benefits.

First, the iron makes the alloy much stronger than it would ordinarily be. When an external magnetic field is applied to the molten solder, these particles align themselves within the solder, making it even stronger once it again solidifies. Second, the iron overcomes the problem of tin-silver having a higher melting point than traditional lead-based solders. By subjecting the solder to an alternating magnetic field, the solder can be selectively heated. This keeps surrounding materials at safe temperatures while melting only the solder itself. Third, an external magnetic field can be used to remotely manipulate the solder, so it can be moved into hard-to-reach places, such as narrow vertical channels. This means that broken connections within devices can be “self-healed” by applying a magnetic field to melt the solder and attach the ends together.

Details of the research can be found in an article that appeared in the March 1 Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

BURGER AIR POLLUTION

Scientists at Carleton College in Minnesota and the University of Minnesota report that commercial cooking is a surprisingly large source of air pollutants, including gases and tiny solid particles. They performed their research with typical commercial cooking appliances and made both chemical and physical measurements of aerosol particles. They found that fatty foods cooked with high heat, especially open flames, resulted in the most emissions. Researcher Tom Kuehn found that for every 1,000 lbs. of hamburger cooked on conveyor broilers, 25 lbs. of emissions are created. The same weight of pepperoni pizza cooked in an oven created just 3 lbs. of emissions. The use of certain oils can also increase emissions. For every 1,000 lbs. of chicken cooked in a wok with peanut oil, 45 lbs. of emissions were produced. The research was presented at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

BIG FANS FOR HOME

Big Ass Fans, Lexington, Ky., a leading maker of large-diameter, low-speed ceiling and vertical fans for industrial and commercial applications, is now targeting the upscale residential market with its Isis fan. The Isis is a sleek, silent, energy-efficient fan suited for homes with high ceilings, but can be installed in spaces with ceilings as low as 12 ft. The fans use airfoil type blades to move air. The company says that one 8-ft. Isis fan covers more area than nine small ceiling fans, while using only one-third the energy of a single standard fan.

RENESAS REBORN

Renesas Electronics America Inc. has commenced business operations as a wholly owned subsidiary of the newly established Renesas Electronics Corp. Renesas Electronics America was formed through the integration of NEC Electronics America and Renesas Technology America.

BIG TOUCH CONTROL PANELS

Zytronic, Blaydon on Tyne, U.K., said that its projected capacitive technology (PCT) is being used to build touch control panels as big as 80 in. Zytronic said that it can achieve such large sizes by using micro-fine copper electrodes instead of the indium tin oxide tracks employed by other technologies. Zytronic touch control displays are being used in a variety of digital signage applications and self-service applications, both indoor and out.

EID Winners Named

The winners of the 23rd Annual Excellence in Design competition have been announced and can be found at www.appliancedesign.com/EID. The winners will also be featured in the June issue of appliance Design.

EASTMAN'S APPLIANCE CONCEPTS

To encourage the use of plastic material for innovative housewares and small appliance designs, Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., displayed prototypes of small appliance concepts at the 2010 International Home and Housewares Show (IHHS) held in March in Chicago. The prototypes, designed by Chuck Pelly of The Design Academy, Woodland Hills, Calif., were made from Eastman’s Tritan copolyester. Pelly created prototypes of a blender, beater, juicer, and kettle. Each was designed to help illustrate properties of the plastic material, including clarity, aesthetic appeal, ability to tint, and the ability to design challenging parts with a mix of thin-to-thick wall sections.

Prototype appliances made from Tritan copolyester.

SMART APPLIANCES TO SOAR

The global market for smart appliances is projected to grow to more than $15 billion by 2015, according to market research and consulting firm Zpryme, Austin, Texas. China, U.S., Australia, and U.K. are among the top markets for smart appliances to be purchased by smart grid active consumers. For many global economies, the deployment of smart grid could easily be one of the leading drivers of wealth into the next 10 to 15 years. Consequently, even in its infancy stage, countless companies are eager to figure out the best way to enter this fast moving industry.

UTILITIES WORRIED

A recent survey showed that 86 percent of large utilities and 82 percent of small- to mid-sized utilities believe that the smart grid will provide consumers with energy usage information that will enable smarter choices. However, when asked to note the most troublesome issues that keep them up at night, 43 percent of utility executives identified consumer reactions to rate increases as their top worry.

That was one finding found in “Smart Grid Challenges & Choices: Utility Executives’ Vision for the New Decade,” a study released by Oracle Corp., Redwood Shores, Calif. The research report surveyed 150 North American C-level utility executives to understand their vision for the next 10 years, how the smart grid will evolve in communities and homes, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.

Other key findings concerned priorities and deployment. When asked to select their top two smart grid priorities over the next 10 years, improving service reliability and implementing smart metering topped the list. However, only one in five respondents noted they are moving forward with system-wide smart grid deployment. Forty-nine percent of large utilities (with more than 100,000 customers) and 18 percent of small- to mid-sized utilities (with fewer than 100,000 customers) are taking steps forward with trial programs.

SMART GRID DISRUPTIVE

Only 8 percent of utilities around the world have completed their smart grid technology implementations, while 37 percent have projects underway and more than half haven’t yet started, according to a new Microsoft Corp. survey. “As this study clearly shows, the disruptive nature of the smart grid revolution, and the innovations it brings, has caught many in the industry by surprise, including many utilities that already have embraced smart grid technologies,” says John Arnold, managing director for the Worldwide Power & Utilities Industry at Microsoft. The survey shows that utilities professionals and executives perceive distribution management and smart metering solutions as the most important technologies for successful smart grid implementations.

GE SMART GRID TEST

The 33,000 citizens of Erding, Germany, will benefit from the environmental advantages of GE smart grid technologies in a major step towards managing energy and water consumption. Stadtwerke Erding, the city’s public works department, is implementing a groundbreaking pilot installation that will consolidate and report data to homeowners on energy and utility usage, including electricity, gas, water, and heating.

SELLING SMART GRID

To help build consumer acceptance and use of the smart grid, a group of smart grid leaders announced the formation of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC). The founding members of the SGCC include consumer electronics and technology companies, retailers, consumer advocacy groups, and utilities dedicated to maximizing the value of the grid for consumers. The SGCC will work to understand consumer needs and preferences, reach out to build awareness and educate consumers about the benefits of the smart grid, and share best practices for consumer engagement and empowerment.