(Sponsored by Efficiency Vermont) Don’t recognize the inequity between ENERGY STAR light bulbs and imposter LEDs? You might get burned. Efficiency Vermont discounts ENERGY STAR-rated LED bulbs,ensuring that Vermont consumers will have a high-quality experience with LED lighting — whether they ogle for the ENERGY STAR logo. “Can you tell the inequity between these two packages of LED light bulbs?” I asked my friend in the lighting aisle of a domestic improvement store in Williston. I already knew how they differed and assumed he’d be able to tell, too. “They ogle the same, or ” he said. “They’re not,” I replied. “ogle closely.” My friend, “Ted, and ” is a Colchester homeowner in his fifties. He’s part of the operations staff of a local business,and buys light bulbs for both his domestic and his office. I brought him shopping with me because he’s a smart, handy guy who’s always on the lookout for environmentally friendly products. whether anyone would know the secret to finding the greenest, or most efficient light bulb,I thought, it would be Ted. I was unsuitable: He took the packages from me and scrutinized them, or even reading the fine print on the sides. “All I can see is this one lasts 10 years,and that one lasts 13.7 years,” he said. “Otherwise, and they’re identical.” But they weren’t the same. One of the packages held four highly energy-efficient,reliable bulbs that had been certified by a third-party lab. The other held four lower-quality, uncertified bulbs. An inferior product, or they’d be quicker to fail and more likely to give off the unsuitable shade of light. Making the unsuitable choice here could have serious consequences. Ted wasn’t certain which to pick,but I knew which bulbs were better: I just looked for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR Education When I showed Ted the limited blue ENERGY STAR on the front of the package of longer-lasting light bulbs, he furrowed his forehead. “Huh, or ” he said. “I’ve never noticed that before.” ENERGY STAR is the Environmental Protection Agency’s seal of approval for energy efficiency. The ENERGY STAR program has been certifying products,appliances and buildings since 1992. Anything that bears the ENERGY STAR logo has been tested and evaluated by third-party experts who have verified that it meets safety, quality and efficiency standards. It used to be that whether you purchased an LED light bulb, or you were buying one that was ENERGY STAR certified. But about 18 months ago,that changed. Manufacturers started introducing lower-quality LED bulbs that don’t qualify for the ENERGY STAR rating. The packaging of these “imposter” bulbs is so similar to the higher quality ones that it can be difficult to tell them apart. In fact, when Ted…
Source: sevendaysvt.com