Appliance Design - January 2009 - (Page 8)

NEwS watch ENERGY actION PLaN. MEMtRON acQUIRES DURaSwItch. DOE, LGE, aGREE On Nov. 14, 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an agreement with LG Electronics, USA, Inc. (LG), resolving concerns related to energy usage measurements reported on LG French Door refrigerators with through-the-door ice and water service. The agreement affects 10 LG models, as well as some comparable Kenmore-brand “TRIO” models designed and manufactured by LG with ice and water dispensing through the door. As a result of the agreement, LG voluntarily suspended these products from the Energy Star program and consumers will be offered a free inhome modification of the affected refrigerator models to make them more energy efficient. Consumers will also receive a payment covering the energy cost difference between the new measured energy usage of the product and the amount stated on the original Energy Guide label. LG will also issue payments to consumers for future incremental energy usage for the expected useful life of the refrigerator — up to 14 years. All pertinent models that have not been sold will immediately be modified prior to sale to ensure that these products satisfy the obligations of the agreement. According to the DOE announcement, prior to this agreement, LG’s measured energy usage was based on a common approach in interpreting DOE’s test procedure. This test procedure, which has been used for decades and is based on a well-recognized and industry-wide adopted procedure, requires, among other things, that the ice maker be disabled but that all temperature controllable compartments, including ice storage bins, be set at their coldest temperature. DOE said LG’s testing did not account for this latter condition, but the company will make changes to its testing to account for this aspect of the procedure to all models. < The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy are helping states lead the way in an effort to promote low-cost energy efficiency. More than 60 energy, environmental, and state policy leaders from across the country helped produce the updated National Action Plan Vision for 2025: A Framework for Change. The action plan outlines strategies to help lower the growth in energy demand across the country by more than 50 percent. It outlines critical steps for state policy makers and identifies areas where additional progress is needed. Two technical assistance documents are available including one that offers guidance on establishing the cost-effectiveness tests for energy-efficiency programs, and the second outlines the best practices for providing business customers with energy use and cost data. Memtron Input Components, Frankenmuth, Mich., a manufacturer of input components, has acquired Duraswitch, a business unit of InPlay Technologies based in Scottsdale, Ariz. Memtron had previously developed applications using Duraswitch technology. Duraswitch holds several patents related to human interface devices that utilize magnetically coupled armatures, rotors, and other components. caRRIER acQUIRES NOREScO. DIShwaShER GEtS StaR RatING. Carrier has acquired Noresco, Westborough, Mass., an energy services company. Established in 1984, Noresco develops efficiency and infrastructure upgrade projects that reduce energy and water consumption and lowers operating expenses for a wide range of customers including federal, state, and municipal agencies, schools, hospitals, utilities, and commercial and industrial facilities. The U.S. Department of Energy has developed more stringent energy efficiency and water use criteria for dishwashers carrying the Energy Star label. This is the first time that Energy Star criteria has addressed water use for dishwashers. The criteria will take effect in two phases, Aug. 11, 2009, and July 1, 2011. In the first phase, Energy Star qualified dishwashers will be required to be at least 48 percent more efficient than federal energy efficiency standards. Stricter federal efficiency standards take effect Jan. 1, 2010. In the second phase, Energy Star qualified dishwashers must be at least 13.5 percent more efficient than the 2010 federal energy efficiency standards. GREEN StaNDaRDS waNtED. LG SaYS NO tO GE BUYOUt. LG Electronics reportedly has no plans to acquire the home appliances unit of GE. According to a Reuters report, the South Korean company has reviewed the possible impact of a GE Appliances acquisition on the company, and decided not to make an offer for the company at this time. Ninety-four percent of U.S. homeowners would like to see universal standards for green products, according to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs, a market research company, conducted on behalf of Icynene, a manufacturer of spray foam insulation based in Mississauga, Ontario. The survey found that only 8 percent of those surveyed usually believe unsubstantiated claims that a product is green. Also, 77 percent of homeowners consider the green merits of products when making purchasing decisions, but only seven percent look only at green or environmental qualities. More than two-thirds of those surveyed say they would buy a competing product from a company they believe to be “more green” than another company, and 64 percent say they would always consider buying from a green company first. In addition, 43 percent say they would recommend to someone else that they not buy a product from a company that is not “green;” and 38 percent say they would not buy a product from a company they believe is not green. < 8 applianceDESIGN January 2009 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - January 2009

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