The ENERGY STAR Retail Products Platform

Appliances, consumer electronics, and other plug loads in the home contribute an estimated 25 percent of residential electricity use. Energy efficiency programs run by utilities and other organizations have traditionally offered consumer rebates to incentivize the purchase of more energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR certified options. With the success of these programs, the per-unit energy savings opportunity has decreased for many products sold at retail, and utilities struggle to justify rebate amounts sufficient enough to motivate consumers and attract retailer interest.

The ENERGY STAR Retail Products Platform (ESRPP) is a national collaborative midstream initiative of energy efficiency program sponsors, retailer partners, and other key stakeholders, facilitated by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. The ESRPP is based on the concept of improving program effectiveness by developing a national level structure for program delivery and engagement with retailers. The ESRPP allows participating sponsors to offer incentives to a select group of national retailers and buying groups to influence the purchasing, stocking, and promotional activities in the product categories incented. This program design streamlines energy efficiency programs with retailers, making them less complex and more cost-effective.

ESRPP: 2025 Program Year

Product Categories:Program Benefits include access to:
  • Clothes Dryers
  • Clothes Washers
  • All-in-One Washer/Dryer Combo
  • Freezers
  • Refrigerators
  • Televisions
  • Heat Pump Water Heaters
  • Room Air Conditioners
  • Room Air Cleaners
  • Connected Thermostats
  • Residential Electric Cooktops
  • Existing relationships with national retailers and opportunity to influence stocking and promotion of energy efficient products.
  • Streamlined, pre-approved universal retail participation agreements.
  • Evaluation resources, including:
    • full product category sales data from one-year prior to joining the program.
    • coordinated retailer surveys.
  • Coordinated engagement with multiple program sponsors to support program planning, develop ESRPP tools and resources, and share best practices.
  • Approved point-of-sale merchandising for placement at retailer locations.

Program sponsors also have the opportunity to influence ENERGY STAR specifications and manufacturer product development.

ESRPP Progress

Seventeen program sponsors are participating and coordinating efforts in program year 2025, encompassing more than 30% of the U.S. market. ENERGY STAR certified models in 11 product categories are being promoted by program sponsor-labeled signage in more than 1,700 stores. Going forward, the goal for large-scale market participation – to serve more than 35% of the U.S. population – is a key milestone in the ESRPP vision to transform the market for energy-efficient consumer products.

 

Retailers Approve

Retailers are the most important channel for delivering energy-efficient products to residential consumers. 

Retailers are becoming less interested in participating in traditional energy efficiency programs due to cost and complexity. In addition, small consumer incentives offer reduced value and efficacy as a tool for driving sales. 

Members of the ENERGY STAR Retail Action Council - Best Buy, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Nationwide Marketing Group - are participating in ESRPP, with more than 1,700 stores in current program sponsors' service areas:

  • "We support EPA's efforts to build scale and be more effective and efficient with the ENERGY STAR Retail Products Platform."
  • "We believe this is the future of energy efficiency programs, and the future is now!"

Current Participants

 

Map showing ESRPP Participants for 2025

Getting Involved

  • Contact the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance to learn about benefits and onboarding for the next steps.
  • Join the current team, take advantage of the tools and templates.
  • Participate in discussions with regulators and evaluators.
  • Learn about the Program Details.

Questions and Information on Joining? 

Contact:

Jon Clark - jclark@neea.org - 503-688-5444

Anne Brink - abrink@neea.org - 503-688-5462

 

Evaluation, Measurement and Verification for ESRPP

ESRPP is a program model that seeks to transform entire markets instead of focusing on an individual consumer’s behavior.  Because ESRPP operates under a market transformation model that is fundamentally different than traditional consumer rebate programs, a tailored approach to evaluating program results is required.  

Given that the ESRPP introduces a market transformation program approach in areas that still run traditional consumer rebate programs, the evaluation community recognizes the need for evaluation methods to be developed that are appropriate to the program theory underlying ESRPP; however, they also report that they will need more time and experience with ESRPP before they can arrive at consensus on a prescriptive evaluation methodology for programs like ESRPP. 

Results from program sponsor evaluations include:

  • Increased sales for program-qualified models leading to short-term savings in certain product categories.
  • Initial evidence that ESRPP has begun to influence the market in a manner consistent with the near-term program theory for ESRPP. For example, the outputs and activities documented in ESRPP logic models, such as increased collaboration, ability to place in-store signage, and program activity decisions being based on program data, are occurring.
  • Cost-effectiveness research, while requiring additional evaluation to account for market transformation impacts, shows significant prospects for most product categories to be cost effective.
Recent examples of Program Evaluations for ESRPP Programs

Connecticut: 

 CT R1973 Retail Non-Lighting Evaluation Results

Pacific Northwest:

NEEA (2021): Retail Product Portfolio Market Progress Evaluation Report #1 

NEEA (2023): Retail Product Portfolio Market Progress Evaluation Report #2 

Indiana:

IMP (2024): 2023 Indiana Residential Portfolio EM&V Report