techs
Lifer
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...appliance-fraud-0328-20100327,0,3996362.story
Fifteen phony products, including a gasoline-powered alarm clock, won a government label certifying them as energy-efficient in a test of the federal "Energy Star" program.
Investigators concluded the program is "vulnerable to fraud and abuse."
A report released Friday said government investigators tried to pass off 20 fake products as energy-efficient, and only two were rejected. Three others didn't get a response.
The program, run by the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, is supposed to identify energy-efficient products to help consumers. Tax credits and rebates serve as incentives to buy Energy Star products.
But the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, said Energy Star does not verify claims made by manufacturers — which might explain the gasoline-powered alarm clock.
The clock's size — 1 1/2-feet high and 15 inches wide — and model name "Black Gold" should have raised alarms with Energy Star, but the automated review system did not catch on to the deception.
"EPA officials confirmed that because the energy-efficiency information was plausible, it was likely that no one read the product description information," the GAO said.
In a joint statement Friday, the EPA and the Energy Department said consumers can have confidence in the Energy Star label.
"In fact, a review last year found that 98 percent of the products tested met or exceeded the Energy Star requirements, and last year alone, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved $17 billion on their energy bills."
So remember to check under the hood. Or you may end up with this room air cleaner:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2010-03/52953971.jpg
Fifteen phony products, including a gasoline-powered alarm clock, won a government label certifying them as energy-efficient in a test of the federal "Energy Star" program.
Investigators concluded the program is "vulnerable to fraud and abuse."
A report released Friday said government investigators tried to pass off 20 fake products as energy-efficient, and only two were rejected. Three others didn't get a response.
The program, run by the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, is supposed to identify energy-efficient products to help consumers. Tax credits and rebates serve as incentives to buy Energy Star products.
But the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, said Energy Star does not verify claims made by manufacturers — which might explain the gasoline-powered alarm clock.
The clock's size — 1 1/2-feet high and 15 inches wide — and model name "Black Gold" should have raised alarms with Energy Star, but the automated review system did not catch on to the deception.
"EPA officials confirmed that because the energy-efficiency information was plausible, it was likely that no one read the product description information," the GAO said.
In a joint statement Friday, the EPA and the Energy Department said consumers can have confidence in the Energy Star label.
"In fact, a review last year found that 98 percent of the products tested met or exceeded the Energy Star requirements, and last year alone, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved $17 billion on their energy bills."
So remember to check under the hood. Or you may end up with this room air cleaner:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2010-03/52953971.jpg
