Representatives of EPA and DOE presented future plans for ENERGY STAR at CEE’s June meeting in Boston and encouraged CEE members to continue providing new ideas.

The ENERGY STAR Brand has achieved greater recognition than ever before (exceeding 60 percent). As the brand matures, the two federal agencies responsible for managing the Program—EPA and DOE—are exploring innovative ways to extend ENERGY STAR while protecting its equity. CEE is working with members to pilot the “Save More with ENERGY STAR” slogan, which is intended to target consumers interested in the most efficient products available, while improving member program cost-effectiveness. Preliminary results from these pilots are expected this fall.

Peter Banwell of EPA and Rich Karney of DOE presented a summary of the ENERGY STAR programs that are being revised and shared possible areas for new programs (see table below). Banwell also highlighted a new report on ENERGY STAR by a leading brand management firm (InterBrand). The report, Building a Powerful and Enduring Brand: the Past, Present and Future of the ENERGY STAR Brand, summarizes the fundamentals of brand management and concludes that ENERGY STAR brand scores well in terms of credibility, relevance, differentiation, and consistent communication.

In addition to DOE’s program changes, Karney presented some new communications pieces being developed to support voluntary efficiency programs. These “Product Market Snapshots” will quickly apprise partners about the current state of the market for a particular product by highlighting key trends, energy savings potential, and the ENERGY STAR program strategy. Based on positive feedback on some pilot documents, DOE plans to add these reports to the ENERGY STAR website in the coming months.

Conveying CEE member input to ENERGY STAR

During an afternoon breakout session, CEE members in attendance had an opportunity to provide the two agencies with input on plans for 2008. Maria Vargas and Ann Bailey of EPA presented a new Public Service Announcement that could be used by CEE members and also shared campaign plans for 2008. CEE will be working with its members to document feedback to submit to the two agencies this Fall. All presentations given by EPA and DOE are available on CEE’s website. If you would like to contribute feedback on the direction of ENERGY STAR and/or participate in development of formal comments, please contact John Taylor.

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