Energy Star Rated Air Purifiers

Buying energy efficient products is a great way for consumers to save money on their utility bills, while helping to protect the environment. To assist in this energy savings goal, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the ENERGY STAR program. Any product that earns the ENERGY STAR label will use less energy, continue to perform in the same manner or better, and will include special features to make use of energy efficiency.

When shopping for household products, be sure to look for ones with the ENERGY STAR label. These items will provide savings over the lifetime of the product by using less energy when compared to non-ENERGY STAR products. That’s because they would not have been able to qualify for this program unless they met the strict energy efficiency guidelines set forth by the EPA and DOE.

How did the ENERGY STAR program begin?

The ENERGY STAR program was initially introduced in 1992 by the Environmental Protection Agency alone. It was a “voluntary labeling program” which identified energy efficient products that would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from the air. The first products to receive the energy efficient labeling were computers and monitors. Office equipment and residential heating and cooling equipment were added to the program during 1995. The following year, the Department of Energy joined the Environmental Protection Agency, and together, they created over 60 new product categories for the program. Now, major appliances, home electronics, office equipment, new homes, lighting, plus commercial and industrial buildings, all carry ENERGY STAR labeling.

How Air Purifiers Qualify for the Program

In general, many products can earn the ENERGY STAR label as long as they meet the EPA’s specifications for required energy efficiency. These products must show increased energy savings over a reasonable period of time, and must deliver performance and features that consumer’s demand. Its energy consumption must be able to be measured and verified through testing. Visible labeling should effectively differentiate energy efficient products from its less-efficient counterparts. Technology used in energy efficiency must be standard among various manufactures and not proprietary to one company. Finally, if a qualified product should cost more than a less-efficient model, consumers must be able to recover their investment through increased energy efficiency with utility bill savings over a reasonable period of time.

In the case of air purifiers, or room air cleaners, as they are sometimes called, they too can qualify to be labeled ENERGY STAR efficient in this program. The ENERGY STAR program defines room air cleaners as “portable, electric, cord-connected appliances that remove fine particle matter, such as dust and pollen, from indoor air.” To qualify for this program, room air cleaners must meet even stricter energy efficient guidelines and specifications that are currently in effect from July 2004, and that were created specifically for their category.

How are air purifiers categorized and how do they qualify for the ENERGY STAR program?

To begin with, air purifiers are placed in categories based on the methods they use to clean indoor air. These special categories are

• fan with filter,
• fan with filter and electrostatic plates,
• fan filter with ion generator,
• ion generator, and
• hybrid

In all categories, qualified air purifier models must produce a minimum “50 Clean Air Delivery Rate (or CADR) (dust), and a minimum efficiency performance requirement of 2.0 CADR/watt (dust).” Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is the measurement of the amount of contaminant-free air that is delivered by a room air cleaner.

A few of the additional specifications that are quoted by the EPA and DOE as imperative in the qualifying process are:

• “Qualifying models must meet a maximum standby power requirement of 2 watts.”
• “Models that emit ozone as a by-product of air cleaning must not exceed 50 ppb (ozone) in accordance with UL Standard 867. “
• “Manufacturers must include the ENERGY STAR mark on either the top/front of the model, on product packaging, in product literature, and on the manufacturer’s Internet site where information about ENERGY STAR qualified models is displayed.”
• “Manufacturers must include the following disclaimer with the ENERGY STAR mark:”
• “This product earned the ENERGY STAR by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US EPA. US EPA does not endorse any manufacturer claims of healthier indoor air from the use of this product.”
• “Manufacturers must also include the following language within the ENERGY STAR qualified model instruction manual and on their company Web site where information about ENERGY STAR qualified products is displayed:

“The energy efficiency of this ENERGY STAR qualified model is measured based on a ratio between the model’s CADR for Dust and the electrical energy it consumes, of CADR/Watt.”

As per the EPA, combination products and ozone generators cannot qualify as ENERGY STAR products.

Summary

Energy costs money, so as a rule, the less energy you use, the more money you can save. By choosing energy efficient products and making energy efficient decisions, consumers can save about one third of their energy bill costs. In fact, http://www.energystar.gov states that in 2009, American consumers had already helped save enough energy to prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the gas emissions generated by 30 million cars. This saved them nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.

For example, purchasing an ENERGY STAR room air cleaner that features a remote control and clock can consume less than 2 watts of energy when it’s in standby mode. In fact, room air cleaners can save consumers an average of 340 kWh of energy per year and $35 annually in utility bills. That can add up to $330 or more of savings over the lifetime of the air cleaner.

As you can see, ENERGY STAR products are a good investment to consider if you’re looking to save money over the long run.

Energy Star Rated Models