The Trump administration is planning to shut down Energy Star, the EPA program that allows companies to label appliances and buildings with high efficiency levels, according to two people familiar with the matter.
EPA staffers were told at a meeting Monday that the agency is looking to shutter the program this year, the people said. That followed a Friday town hall where EPA political appointees discussed a reorganization plan calling for the elimination of the Office of Atmospheric Protection, which houses Energy Star.
“On Friday, EPA announced the next phase of organizational improvements to the agency to better provide clean air, water, and land for all Americans. These workforce changes impact the Office of the Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and Office of Water,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday when asked about Energy Star. ”With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback.”
If implemented, the plan would scrap one of the most visible federal programs to boost efficiency. Unlike the Department of Energy’s mandatory program setting efficiency levels for appliances, Energy Star is voluntary. EPA sets standards that businesses can choose to meet and have verified independently before displaying the program’s blue label on appliances, buildings and homes. The idea is to offer consumers a choice if they prefer more efficient products.
Energy Star, which began under former President George H.W. Bush, saves the average household roughly $450 annually on energy bills, according to the program’s federal website.
“By the EPA’s own accounting, it saves American consumers and businesses more than $40 billion a year simply by providing trusted, reliable information, and it costs just $32 million to operate. That is an incredible return on investment. For the federal government to throw that away would be tragically shortsighted, particularly when the administration’s stated goal is to reduce Americans’ energy bills by half,” said Ben Evans, federal legislative director of the U.S. Green Building Council.
In April, more than 1,000 companies, cities and groups signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging support for the program. It was signed by large companies like DuPont, National Grid and Samsung, as well as smaller businesses and major cities like Philadelphia, New Orleans and Seattle. Many businesses have said the program is popular with consumers and helps them sell products while also saving energy.
The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Electrical Manufacturers Association and other industry groups also have urged Zeldin to back the program.
President Donald Trump has not targeted Energy Star publicly in the same way that he has DOE’s mandatory program for lightbulbs, showerheads, dishwashers and other appliances. But the president proposed eliminating the program in 2017 before suggesting some of its funding be privatized by requiring manufacturers to pay user fees, a plan that Congress rejected at the time.
The president’s skinny budget for fiscal 2026 released Friday did not mention Energy Star, but called for eliminating EPA’s Atmospheric Protection Program, a general term for agency climate programs. “By prioritizing climate change over job creation and energy independence, the program has burdened American industries with costly mandates,” the budget document said.
The program has some bipartisan support, suggesting the administration’s plan to eliminate it could face pushback with lawmakers.
In a statement, Jill Notini, a spokesperson for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, said a streamlined Energy Star program could be managed through the Department of Energy. DOE currently helps implement the program, but is not the lead agency.
“Moving the program to DOE would meet the administration’s goals of preserving a full selection of products from which consumers can choose, and reducing unnecessary regulatory burden,” Notini said.
Congress weighed the idea in Trump’s first term, although critics said at the time that a move to DOE would undermine the program and be disruptive for manufacturers.
CNN first reported on the administration’s plans to shutter Energy Star.
