Fridges lose their Energy Star.(LAB TESTS)(Brief article)

For the first time, some refrigerators have been suspended from the federal Energy Star program, under a November 2008 agreement between South Korean manufacturer LG and the Department of Energy.

Made by LG and sold under the LG and Kenmore Trio brands, 22 French-door models with through-the-door ice and water dispensers consume too much energy to qualify for Energy Star, an issue brought to light by recent CONSUMER REPORTS articles about some Energy Star appliances. Energy Star refrigerators must use at least 20 percent less electricity than the maximum allowed under the DOE standard, but one model we reported on currently consumes 23 percent more than the DOE maximum.

We reported in "Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster" (October 2008) and "French-Door Folly" (January 2009) that some LG models and a Sears (Kenmore) model made by LG used significantly more energy than stated on their yellow EnergyGuide label. In DOE tests, the icemaker is turned off. ...