U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin is reconsidering plans to end the ENERGY STAR program, the New York Times reports.
Marked by its well-known bright blue trademark logo, the ENERGY STAR label signifies government endorsement of energy efficient appliances, electronics and homes. The program is a public-private partnership administrated by the EPA with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and private partners.
Nearly 40% of Fortune 500 companies partner with ENERGY STAR, according to the program website.
The voluntary program tests products for energy efficiency; those that meet or exceed criteria established by the program are certified and receive the program’s trademark logo.
“The ENERGY STAR program was established under President George H.W. Bush in 1992 under the authority of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and later codified under President George W. Bush in Sec. 131 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005,” reports Alliance to Save Energy.
Since its establishment, the program has helped American families and businesses save five trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, according to the ENERGY STAR website.
“ENERGY STAR was moved earlier this month from the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection to its Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, both of which were sub-offices with the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR),” reports ACHR News. “The Office of Atmospheric Protection was eliminated as part of the reorganization.”
After an announcement that the program was up for elimination and the fact that funding for the program was not included in the Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget, business leaders and congressional Republicans pushed back intently to keep the program, The New York Times reports.
“Shortly after Mr. Zeldin said he would eliminate ENERGY STAR, the EPA renewed four contracts with ICF, a consulting firm that helps administer the program, according to federal records,” states the New York Times article. “One contract was renewed through September of 2030. The company did not respond to requests for comment.”
“Brigit Hirsch, a spokeswoman for the EPA, said in email that ‘no final decision has been made at this time’ on whether to keep ENERGY STAR.
“’It is unclear what the economic activity generated by the ENERGY STAR program is versus what the economic activity would be without this program,’ Ms. Hirsch said, adding that ‘the Trump EPA is committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.’”
In a letter dated May 20, 2025, more than 20 U.S. Senators urged the EPA to reverse any plans to eliminate the program.
“Reporting has indicated … that the [EPA] plans to eliminate ENERGY STAR without Congressional approval. Not only is the program protected under federal statute and thus illegal for the Administration to terminate unilaterally, but this decision also lacks basic economic sense. We write to urge you to immediately reverse course. … Eliminating the ENERGY STAR program will not only raise energy costs for American families and businesses, but also inflict far-reaching economic harms, threatening industry jobs and the reliability of the grid at a time of growing demand.”
Eliminating the program would result in it likely being “supplanted by initiatives that drive results counter to the goals of this administration, such as decreased features, functionality, performance, or increased costs,” stated a letter to the EPA written by a group of HVAC manufacturers and associations, as reported by Homepros.