New Quality Assurance and Quality Control Measures from EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new set of quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) measures that were initially proposed in December 2023. The revised ENERGY STAR Certification System document can be found on the EPA’s HCO website. All comments submitted regarding the original proposal, EPA’s responses, and a redline version of the final document are available on the archive’s webpage.

EPA designed these enhancements to create more confidence in ENERGY STAR certifications, including centralized photo collection, digital checklist retention, printing of labels and certificates exclusively through approved software, and a threshold amount of QA review being performed directly by Home Certification Organization (HCO) personnel. The EPA will work with HCOs to set implementation timelines and expects the first elements to begin rolling out in 2025. No immediate action is needed from raters and quality control reviewers until an HCO announces protocol changes through its normal communication channels. Additional information and training will be provided as changes are implemented.