Why have the ENERGY STAR criteria changed for refrigerators, clothes washers and dishwashers?
To be ENERGY STAR qualified, a product must be 10 to 50 percent more energy efficient than products that meet the minimum standard. For residential refrigerators, the last ENERGY STAR specification came into effect in 2004. Since then, new technologies have greatly increased the availability of energy-efficient refrigerators and transformed the market. As a result, approximately half the refrigerators for sale in North America in 2007 met the 2004 specification. The specification is changing to ensure that the ENERGY STAR symbol identifies only the top performers. Note: The new specification applies only to standard-size refrigerators that have a volume of at least 219.5 litres (L) (7.75 cubic feet [cu. ft.]). It does not apply to commercial models, to models larger than 1104.4 L (39 cu. ft.) or to freezers larger than 849.5 L (30 cu. ft.). There is no change for compact refrigerators and compact and standard-size freezers. For clothes washers, Canada and the United States introduced a
