Be Aware!

The pitch for a programmable thermostat has been almost predictable for a while. Sellers have touted them as energy-saving devices for homeowners - set your thermostats accordingly for when people are home, when they're away and when they're sleeping. When used properly, homeowners can save up to $180 annually on energy bills.

Certain programmable thermostats used to carry the well-recognized Energy Star logo, part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is akin to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for energy savings. But Energy Star decided in 2009 to drop the programmable thermostats from its program; beginning in 2010, manufacturers were no longer allowed to label new ones with this logo. Energy Star program officials said that while there may be savings with the thermostats, there was no guarantee. In other words, if people don't set their thermostats correctly or program them at all, then they wouldn't save.

While Energy Star is no longer available for thermostats, Energy Aware has emerged to take its place. Launched in June by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Energy Aware is a new certification and labeling program for high-performance, programmable thermostats for residential use. According to NEMA, the program's intent is to assist distributors, contractors, installers and homeowners in choosing programmable thermostat models that will best meet individual and family needs to manage and reduce energy usage while maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures.

NEMA worked with HARDI's Controls Council to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for HARDI to promote and endorse the Energy Aware program. The Controls Council ratified the memorandum and, in December, the HARDI board of trustees formally approved the agreement.

Paul Neustadt, chair of the Controls Council and president of Downer's Grove, IL-based Neuco Inc., says members of the council had some constructive comments about the program but agreed that the industry needed a third-party endorsement about the energy savings that come with the thermostats.

Energy Aware fills that void, he says, and it will be a popular selling point for distributors and contractors alike. "Energy Star was very recognizable," he acknowledges. "The challenge will be to raise the profile of Energy Aware with consumers and contractors and bring them up to speed. It will behoove the wholesaler to promote it to their contractor customers."

Manufacturers of programmable thermostats were the driving force behind Energy Aware, says William Hoyt, industry director for NEMA. "Manufacturers wanted a credible standards organization, and they came to us and said, 'Let's put our heads together and see what kind of program we can come up with.'"

Braeburn, Honeywell and White-Rodgers, all manufacturers of energy-saving programmable thermostats, are working with NEMA as supporters of the Energy Aware program.

They got to work at the end of 2009 to create a program that would provide some real data points to drive home the energy savings of the thermostats. “We were very careful in the steps that we took to put the program together,” Hoyt says. This included developing an operations manual for testing, creating the logo and license agreements to allow nonqualified NEMA members to become part of the program.

Those involved in Energy Aware's creation also saw this as an opportunity to address some of the weaknesses of the Energy Star program. In the new program, an ISO-certified laboratory must test and certify manufacturers' products.

"So it's a two-step qualification process," Hoyt says. Energy Aware also requires continual testing of products - a third of a manufacturer's products that qualify for Energy Aware certification face annual testing to remain in the program. All products that carry the Energy Aware label will be tested within a three-year period after initial certification.