The Department of Energy has been getting some great publicity—definitely on this blog—this month for its gigantic Solar Decathlon competition sprawled across the National Mall. But as DOE officials were shaking hands, making announcements, and touring various homes, someone in their department managed to leak an important, internal document to the New York Times.

Yesterday, the newspaper broke the story that many products given the Energy Star label may very well be undeserving of the distinction, according to an internal audit.

The Department is allowing companies to self-inspect and certify some of their own products. And it is not monitoring whether companies that improperly labeled products are correcting their practices.

This is, of course, a problem for several reasons: Under the stimulus bill, consumers are getting tax credits for purchasing green products. (I wrote about one example of this, white roof paint, a few months back.) And the federal government is currently spending tons of money retrofitting old public buildings to be more energy efficient–I’m assuming, with some of these inaccurately represented “green” products.

To be fair, some products are under the proper review. Others not so much: The Times story also notes that the DOE promised in 2007  that it “would conduct ‘retail assessments’ to ensure that all the products carrying the Energy Star logo deserved them, it is still not doing so for windows, doors, skylights, water heaters and solid-state lighting.”

Image by Sun Dazed, Flickr Creative Common

Two D.C. energy auditors out on the job

The Downtown Business Improvement District is reporting that Washington DC will receive $30 million in energy efficiency and conservation funding through the US Department of Energy.

The DC government plans to use 75% of the funds for agencies in need of energy efficiency improvements, with the remaining 25% going to District Department of the Environment (DDOE) programs that provide direct services to businesses and residents. The anticipated end result: reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

For a breakdown of which agencies will be receiving the most cash, check below the jump:

Here is the proposed distribution: Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (26.3%); Office of Property Management (26.3%); Fire and Emergency Medical Services (4.7%); Department of Parks and Recreation (4.7%); D.C. Public Libraries (4.7%). The rest can be found here.

Image by Darrow Montgomery

If Energy Secretary Steven Chu had his way, Americans would be painting their roofs white as often as homeowners in the Greek isles.

While speaking in London in late May, he extolled the virtues of white roofs as one of the easiest, simplest ways to lower energy costs.

“If that building is air-conditioned, it’s going to be a lot cooler, it can use 10 or 15 percent less electricity,” he said.

The sentiment was not lost on Bloomingdale resident John Henson.

He bought his Bryant Street brick town house in Bloomingdale in 2002. Five years ago, he painted his roof white.

“It’s sort of common sense when you think of the colors that reflect heat the best. Most of the homes in Florida have a white roof coating,” he says.

As far as the tangible benefits, Henson says it’s hard to detect changes on his energy bill because he doesn’t have central air-conditioning. But he can feel the difference in temperature, especially on the top level of his house.

So when he spotted an article mentioning Chu’s comments, he quickly sent a note out to the local Listserv encouraging his neighbors to follow his lead, noting: “You can take a TAX CREDIT in 2009 as part of the President’s stimulus initiative.”

The idea’s not a new one brought to us by the Obama administration. When Washington City Paper contacted the Department of Energy for more information, spokesperson Jen Stutsman forwarded a nine-year-old DOE Web page outlining white roof coatings.

But they’ve yet to catch on here. Henson says he knows of one other District resident with a white roof—a friend of his who put on a protective coating that just happened to be white. It wasn’t a statement, but he says his buddy is reaping lower A/C bills as a result.

“It turns out, it saved him $20 a month,” says Henson.

Image by Darrow Montgomery