Energy Star Programs:
Uncle Sam’s Partnerships for Energy Efficiency

The federal government has had mixed success promoting energy conservation and renewables since the early 1970s. Some efforts have been great, such as appliance efficiency standards and EnergyGuide labels. Others have been less effective or even counter-productive. President Carter’s appeal to the American public to conserve energy by turning down the thermostat equated energy conservation with discomfort—a faux pas that continues to haunt the energy conservation industry. And some argue that the 40% solar tax credits were a failure because they built a false foundation for the solar water heating industry, opened the door to rampant fraud, and conveyed a subtle message that solar worked only if it was subsidized.

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