[Judy Pino] 
Hello, and welcome to Green Scene, EPA’s environmental information podcast series that you can take with you. I’m Judy Pino. The holidays have officially begun, and energy efficiency is one of the ways that you can green your holidays. And today, we have Maria Vargas with EPA’s Energy Star Program, designed to help save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. Thanks, Maria, for joining us.
[Maria Vargas] 
It’s my pleasure. 
[Judy Pino] 
Let’s begin. How is it that a product becomes an Energy Star product? In essence, what is a consumer getting when they buy Energy Star? 
[Maria Vargas] 
Sure, and consumers can look for the energy star not only on products, but on new homes and schools and grocery stores and even hotels. The energy star means three things to a consumer. It means that that product uses energy more efficiently than a conventional product and therefore is better for the environment. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 
[Judy Pino] 
And this is what we’re looking for?
[Maria Vargas] 
That’s right. And the second thing it means is that that product is cost-effective for consumers to buy, and thirdly, and very importantly to today’s consumer, there’s no sacrifice in quality. You don’t get any less of a television when you look for Energy Star-qualified TV. You get the same or better. It’s a great win-win for today’s consumers and our environment. 
[Judy Pino] 
Now, the program started in 1992, but since then, many, many products have been added. Approximately how many products are Energy Star products?
[Maria Vargas]
Over 50, so five-O different kinds of products can earn the energy star. Anything from a light bulb to a refrigerator to a television, to a cordless phone can earn the energy star. 
[Judy Pino] 
Now straight to the holidays. Many of us have already started decorating our homes. And lately, in the paper, it said that Washington’s national Christmas tree over at the Ellipse and the Christmas tree over in Rockefeller Center in New York has been lit, illuminated with LED energy-saving lights, which consumers can also use in their home decorations. Is that right?
[Maria Vargas] 
Sure, yes. LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are a great technology for consumers. They’re very energy efficient, and they offer a great source of light, and they’re a good alternative to lighting your Christmas tree at home or outside or wherever you choose to light it.
[Judy Pino] 
And, of course, there are many Energy Star lighting options, and, of course, when you see this, you think Energy Star.
[Maria Vargas] 
Right, right.
[Judy Pino] 
Tell us a little more about all of the lighting options we have around the home that are Energy Star.
[Maria Vargas] 
Sure. So, as we pointed out, Energy Star is really a great way, an easy way for consumers to identify an energy-efficient solution for their home. So, compact fluorescent light bulbs like the one you just held up is a great alternative for your home. They use 75 percent less energy. They generate 75 percent less heat, so you don’t have to worry about the heat load of the light bulbs, and they also last about 10 times longer. And they are a small change that can really do a world of good. If every American household replaced just one light bulb with a light bulb like this, that’s in the Energy Star, we could save enough greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 800,000 cars, then that would be a great amount of pollution reduced, and it’s a great opportunity for everyone to save energy in their homes as well, because you’d save about $30 on energy costs over the life of this bulb in your home. It’s a great investment.
[Judy Pino]
Well, you get your money’s worth.
[Maria Vargas] 
Absolutely.
[Judy Pino] 
Yeah, the other thing is, of course, whether you’re thinking Christmas or Kwanza or Hanukah, you’re thinking gift-giving, and Energy Star has many products from computers to DVD players and all kinds of stuff that you could consider as a gift and help the environment at the same time.
[Maria Vargas] 
That’s right. Consumers looking to buy a new television for the holiday season, a DVD player, a VCR, a computer, should look for those products, look for the ones they want, and make sure they’ve earned the government’s Energy Star label. Because that really makes sure that they’re getting the best in technology. It’s very energy efficient, and it’s better for our environment to use a product that can do more with less, do more with less energy. 
[Judy Pino] 
And you’re especially excited about the computers?
[Maria Vargas] 
Yes, this year we’re very excited about computers. So, for anyone thinking about buying your loved one a laptop, or even yourself a laptop, this is the year to do it, because the EPA just revised what it means to earn the energy star on computers. And so computers that now earn the energy star and carry that label are about 65 percent more efficient than they were about six months ago, and that’s a great opportunity for consumers to save energy and save money, and for us to all do our part for the environment.
[Judy Pino] 
Okay, so this is also the season to save money on big-ticket items, but if you buy things such as appliances that are Energy Star, you’re also saving energy. So, let’s talk about the big-ticket items.
[Maria Vargas] 
Sure. So, Energy Star is also available on things like washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, even things to heat and cool your home, furnaces, those sorts of things, so if you’re in the market for those this holiday season, be sure to look for one that’s earned the energy star.
[Judy Pino] 
And, of course, winterizing your home, for those of us who come from Florida, like myself -- well, not so much, but -- right? Energy Star does have a couple of interactive programs to help prepare your home for the winter months.
[Maria Vargas] 
Yeah, it’s a great time of year to be talking about this, because about half of our home’s energy bills go to heat and cool our home. So a really great place to be more energy efficient in our homes is how we heat and cool our homes. So, EPA has two new tools on our Web site that help consumers get the right information for the homes that they live in. One is an interactive tool. It’s got a picture of a house. You can tour that house. You can figure out what the options are in your home to become more energy efficient room by room. And then a new tool that we just launched about a month ago is called the Energy Star Home Advisor. And it really helps identify, when you answer four simple questions, what it is that you can do, and what the biggest things are, the biggest ticket items you can do in your home to improve the heating in your home and to make it more energy efficient.
[Judy Pino] 
I was just teasing, obviously. This is not just in the winter; it’s year round.
[Maria Vargas] 
It is year round.
[Judy Pino] 
And so these two interactive programs, which you can find on energystar.gov, will really help you.
[Maria Vargas] 
Yes, absolutely.
[Judy Pino] 
And of course, this is also -- we’re concentrating on the home, but don’t forget your business. If you have a business, you should also find some products that are Energy Star around the office that could really help.
[Maria Vargas] 
Absolutely, yes. And EPA is working with thousands of businesses across the country to help them make their facilities, their operations, their products that they use more energy efficient, so it’s everything from computers to figuring out what sort of things, office equipment that you should purchase, and then really how to make sure your whole building, your whole facility, your whole operation is more energy efficient. 
[Judy Pino] 
That sounds fantastic. And, of course, a lot of these gifts that we will be buying require batteries. Well, how about -- charging them, also, could be energy efficient. Tell us about some of the Energy Star-qualified chargers.
[Maria Vargas] 
Sure, one of the products that the government has awarded the Energy Star label to is battery charging systems, so it’s a great way to make sure that you are not only using the product efficiently, but then charging it efficiently, making sure that you’re using energy correctly when you’re using the product, but also to charge the batteries that operate the product.
[Judy Pino] 
Maria, thank you so much for joining us.
[Maria Vargas] 
My pleasure.
[Judy Pino] 
And helping us get more information on greening the holidays. Have a great holiday.
[Maria Vargas] 
Thank you.
[Judy Pino] 
Well, don’t forget to look for the Energy Star label for your holiday purchases. For more information on greening your holidays and Energy Star, you can always visit epa.gov, but also energystar.gov. Thanks for joining us. I’m Judy Pino. See you next time.