The Most Efficient Gas Powered Clock Radio Ever

You know those blue EnergyStar labels you sometimes see on appliances in the store? Think hard. No, not the train that gets stuck in the Channel Tunnel when it gets cold. That’s EuroStar.

EnergyStar is a joint program of the EPA and the US Department of Energy to help Americans “save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.” Their elaborate and cheerful website goes on to claim that

Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2009 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars — all while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.

That’s a savings of about $150 per household last year. And you are only vaguely aware of the program? Ungrateful wretch.

You probably ignore those blue badges on the dishwashers, air conditioners, decorative light strings, enterprise servers, and new houses that you buy. You just assume that the whole thing is an unholy amalgam of marketing gimmickry and the Clinton Administration’s penchant for government sponsored symbolism.

Well, you might be right on that last bit. The GAO recently released its findings of an investigation of the EPA/DOE’s EnergyStar certification process. (Old codgers like me think GAO stands for General Accounting Office, but in 2004 it was renamed the Government Accountability Office, part of the Bush Administration’s penchant for cringe-inducing agency names.)

I have decided that the GAO is the Washington department I hate the least. Not only do they spent their time pointing out how bad other government agencies are, but from the report on EnergyStar it is clear that they have a great sense of humor.

A less imaginative and whimsical investigator might have tested the theory that just about anything can get an EnergyStar badge if its producer asks nicely enough with, say, a too large air conditioner or a string of Christmas lights that drew too much juice, and left it at that. Not my boys at the GAO.

They submitted to EnergyStar, and got approved, specs for a gasoline powered alarm clock. Sadly, they did not build a prototype, but they described their envisioned device as being 18” x 15” x 10” in size. “Gas-powered clock radio is sleek, durable, easy on your electric bill, and surprisingly quiet.” Of course, if the clock next to your bed produces enough carbon monoxide you won’t care how noisy it is.

To be fair, it should be pointed out that the GAO’s gas powered alarm clock was no doubt the most fuel efficient gas powered alarm clock ever submitted to EnergyStar.

The GAO also asked for approval on a few other things, all from completely fictitious companies. There was an “air room cleaner” in the form of a feather duster taped to what appears to be a space heater. (Photo of prototype on page 12 of GAO report.) That one got certified, but the GAO gave up on waiting to hear back about their “electric office hammer.”

Even the approval of relatively dull things from the GAO, a furnace, a water cooler, etc., was amusing. You see, none of these things actually existed, nor did the companies submitting them actually exist. It is clear that the merry pranksters at the GAO worried about being dinged because of these sorts of technicalities, so they took some minimal precautions, setting up a few websites (URLs, tragically, not provided in the report) and renting a few mailboxes. They gave cell phone numbers for company voice lines and disconnected numbers for faxes. This turned out to be overkill.

To become an Energy Star partner, we submitted an Energy Star partnership commitment form for each bogus company listing basic contact information, a fictitious point of contact, and pertinent manufacturing categories. All four bogus companies were granted Energy Star partnership by EPA and/or DOE within 2 weeks. The bogus companies were granted access to digital logo templates and other marketing materials, without first having any qualifying products. For two of the companies, Energy Star administrators did not review the Web site prior to granting Energy Star manufacturing partner status. For all cases, Energy Star did not call our bogus firms or visit our firm’s addresses. Further, our bogus manufacturing companies received product and service solicitations stemming from partner listing on the Energy Star Web site. For example, one company received requests for large recurring orders of an external power supply adapter, based on the company being listed on the Energy Star Web site.

Who knew doing business in America was so easy?

The GAO summed up:

Our proactive testing revealed that the Energy Star program is primarily a self-certification program relying on corporate honesty and industry self-policing to protect the integrity of the Energy Star label.

In fact, the only two (of twenty) submissions that were rejected, a fan and a light blub, got the ax because in those categories EnergyStar defers to industry testing groups.

The folks at EnergyStar do not exactly dispute the GAO’s characterization of the program as “relying on corporate honesty.” From their amazingly unreassuring response to the report:

One of the reasons the system has worked during the first 18 years of the program is that manufacturers have a market incentive to test competitors’ products and report violations.

In other words, approving a gas powered alarm clock that does not exist is okay, because if it did exist sooner or later rival alarm clock makers would sue over it. God bless America.

I think the larger issue, which the GAO ignores, is that aside from their mysterious success selling large recurring orders of power supplies, mostly consumers just don’t care about the program. If it took any effort at all to get a product EnergyStar certified, companies might reasonably decide it was not worth the bother. And then what would the bureaucrats who run EnergyStar do?

Government | Frank Curmudgeon | March 29, 2010 11:59 am

16 Comments

By Paul Williams, March 29, 2010 @ 12:23 pm

Thanks for the laughs, Frank & the GAO! Think anything will actually come out of this report?
By Adam, March 29, 2010 @ 12:32 pm

Great stuff. I’m checking usajobs.gov for GAO openings..
By Ron, March 29, 2010 @ 2:17 pm

And just think, these dolts are taking over healthcare! What’s next, the gasoline powered scalpel?

“Governments never learn. Only people learn.” — Milton Friedman
By Investor Junkie, March 29, 2010 @ 2:19 pm

And how much are we paying for in taxes to the Energy Star program?
By Dan, March 29, 2010 @ 2:45 pm

You used “penchant” in two consecutive paragraphs.
By boojack, March 29, 2010 @ 3:17 pm

I was just walking around Washington a couple of days ago, past all the agency buildings, and remarked that the GAO and CBO were the only government agencies I didn’t hate, mostly because they point out what everyone else is doing wrong.

Frank is the equivalent of the GAO for PF web sites… no wonder he likes it.
By jcompton, March 29, 2010 @ 4:01 pm

I thought everybody already knew that Energy Star was a qualification-free scam, so in a way even this report is a waste of government resources.

Still, it’s funny.
By jim, March 29, 2010 @ 4:03 pm

I think I just conceived my new business : EnergyStar testing services consulting.
I’ll get your products EnergyStar certified guaranteed for reasonable fees.
By Lance, March 29, 2010 @ 9:11 pm

Jim, I like the way you think. Can I interest you in a joint venture? I’ve been trying to float my FDIC reinsurance proposal, but have yet to find a man of your vision.
By Nick, March 30, 2010 @ 4:00 am

I’m still waiting for someone to tell me about how big of a scam it was to put all of these energy saving bulbs in my house. They’re expensive, the light sucks, and they really don’t last that long (who cares that the package says up to 5 years).
To Ron’s point, I can’t wait for healthcare REFORM.
By Rick, March 18, 2011 @ 6:08 pm

I agree with Nick. I really do question why energy saving bulbs need to be so expensive, yet they provide far inferior lighting.
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By Asian Tv, July 5, 2011 @ 2:46 am

Ouch! All the tax money that goes into these governmental agencies in the name of looking out for Americans semms to be money flushed down one of their over-priced toilets.
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