Energy Star: What’s Next?

The Trump administration announced in May its plans to dissolve the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Atmospheric Protection, which would also eliminate the popular Energy Star program.

Launched in 1992, Energy Star and its partners have saved Americans more than $500 billion in energy costs and prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to an information sheet from the Partnership for Advanced Window Solutions. For every dollar the EPA has invested in the program, Americans have saved $350 in energy costs. Energy Star product sales exceed an estimated $100 billion annually; more than 300 million certified products were purchased in 2021.

Industry leaders share how Energy Star has delivered not only substantial savings but has also inspired manufacturers and consumers to prioritize energy efficiency.

Ray Garries, president, Global Fenestration Advisors and past Energy Star Partner of the Year award winner, notes how Energy Star drove progress. “Energy Star products could lower energy bills by up to 13% when swapping out old single-pane windows,” he says. Beyond homeowner savings, it also drove progress in the manufacture of products. “That blue label built buyer trust and got techs and execs focused on green goals.”

Energy Star 7

Energy Star for Windows, Doors and Skylights Version 7 took effect in October 2023 to much industry discussion. Some argued the standards it set for products to reach “most efficient” status were out of reach for some manufacturers and would be cost prohibitive for consumers.

Nevertheless, 84% of respondents in Window + Door’s 2024 Top Manufacturers report indicated they had updated, planned to update or already had products that met Energy Star guidelines.

“One of the biggest business opportunities in window production lies in the development and manufacturing of energy-efficient windows,” writes one survey respondent. “By investing in the research and development of innovative window technologies, companies can create a competitive advantage in the market and attract environmentally conscious customers.”

Affordable energy savings

Energy Star encourages manufacturers to produce increasingly efficient products, which thereby saves homeowners money and helps the environment. As the program evolved, however, it ran the risk of pricing some people out. “Tough rules could make products too pricey for most people,” says Garries. He recalls his 2013 feedback on Energy Star Version 6 changes where he said, “Affordability must stay a main goal of the Energy Star program.” In addition, he warned that the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient levels could “hurt product affordability” and buyers would see a slow payback.  

“Even in 2011, I noted 20%-25% price hikes that stretched payback times too long. In 2021, I called out weak value: small savings against $1,265-$2,760 extra for a whole house,” he continues. “Good efficiency shouldn’t just be for the elites.”

Efficient technologies

Alpen High Performance Products has built its company on manufacturing highly efficient products and making them accessible to the average consumer. It highly values the Energy Star program and CEO Andrew Zech says developing products that meet the guidelines didn’t take any extra effort; “It was core to who we were already,” he says.

Zech says Alpen considers the glass, frame and hardware when designing its windows. “Everything we do starts with the glass,” he says. Alpen focuses on thin-glass technology, which it favors because of its flexibility to let customers choose other glass, such as tempered, bird glass, coated glass and more.

Next, Alpen looks at framing. The company favors fiberglass or composite unplasticized polyvinyl chloride, or uPVC, material for its frames. The uPVC frame has a coextruded fiberglass rod running down its center for extra structural support. Finally, Alpen chooses hardware that maximizes airtightness and can accommodate large unit sizes that customers demand.

Vacuum insulating glazing is another technology the industry is exploring. Kolbe Windows & Doors and LuxWall Inc. partnered to offer a VIG in select Kolbe products.

Jon Hauberg, director of product research and development at Deceuninck North America, thinks that while defunding Energy Star could create a transition period initially, it ultimately could encourage innovation and competition in the industry. “Manufacturers will gain the freedom to use more advanced thermal modeling software, moving beyond the limitations of one size fits all or legacy criteria,” he says. “This enables them the pursuit of performance-based solutions that better reflect real-world efficiency. Rather than each manufacturer creating their own metrics, this shift presents an opportunity for the industry to come together to define new, high-performance standards. These standards can be validated by third-party organizations like the National Fenestration Rating Council and tailored to modern materials, technologies and regional needs. The result is greater flexibility and efficiency in product development, along with more meaningful ways to demonstrate performance in the market. 

“It could also lead to a more level playing field, where innovation is driven by measurable performance rather than compliance with legacy criteria,” he continues. “In the long term, the industry may benefit from faster adoption of next-generation technologies and more meaningful differentiation in the marketplace.”

Looking forward

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have voted to include a specific line item to fully fund Energy Star for fiscal year 2026. The House committee’s language included $32 million while the Senate included $36 million, plus directional report language reiterating there should be full funding for the program and instructing EPA to report to the committee on the future of Energy Star at the agency.

Although a positive step, questions remain. The U.S. Green Building Council wrote on its website, “The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, and with Congress out until early September, it is likely there will be at least a short-term continuing resolution before then. If Congress ends up doing a full-year continuing resolution, it will likely not include detailed congressional direction or specific funding levels for most programs, giving the administration more flexibility to determine how funds are spent within agencies. That could leave the Energy Star program vulnerable to being defunded or privatized.”

Despite uncertainty, industry leaders commit to ongoing work in sustainability and efficiency. “Even as support for the federal Energy Star program winds down, the commitment to energy efficiency should remain a core focus for the industry,” says Deceuninck’s Hauberg. “Companies can continue to drive progress through voluntary standards, product innovation and partnerships with independent organizations such as the NFRC.”

Garries says, “This isn’t the end—it’s a shift to us leading.” In 2022, he encouraged the Department of Energy’s National Labs to embark on a project for breakthroughs that make super-efficient windows cheaper and more efficient. “Now, we must put more investment into innovation that we know about but haven’t made mainstream,” he says. “Acoustic glass, vacuum-insulating glass, thin triples, electrochromic tints and solar-integrated frames are all ripe for focus. I encourage everyone to innovate our way forward.”

Commercial efforts

The Building Owners and Managers Association conference June 28-July 1 included a session titled “The End of Energy Star? Implications for Commercial Real Estate.” The engagement of real estate leaders at the conference underscores the industry’s dedication to preserving Energy Star; despite uncertainties, stakeholders across sectors remain united in supporting the program’s role in advancing energy efficiency.

 

John Boling, BOMA vice president of advocacy and building codes; Duane Desiderio, senior vice president and counsel for the real estate roundtable; David Ray, director of sustainability at NV5; and Wayne Talbot, director of operations at JLL, offered commentary and insight. (Read more about the BOMA conference.)

 

Boling and Desiderio have met with decision-makers in Washington, D.C., to educate them about the importance of this program, including putting out a letter to authorizers and appropriators.

 

“No decisions have been made just yet. Energy Star is referenced three dozen times in the U.S. code, so this is an entrenched program. It can’t just be changed willy-nilly,” says Desiderio. “There is a statutory process to change the 2025 law. What we’re aiming for is to get indications into the budget for fiscal year 2026 (Oct. 1, 2025) that Energy Star will continue as a viable program.”