Energy Star secures mandatory funding, a program first

Despite the Trump administration’s previously reported plans to kill Energy Star, the program received funding for 2026 through legislation that Congress passed and the president signed in late-January. 

What’s happening: The Trump administration last year proposed defunding Energy Star, but received pushback from a wide range of manufacturers, homebuilders, nonprofits, and consumer groups. 

• January’s bipartisan budget legislation earmarked $33 million for the program, slightly above 2024’s level, and included a directive from Congress that the administration not take actions to reduce the amount.
• The move marks “the very first time that Congress has stipulated a mandatory annual spending level” for Energy Star, Sabine Rogers, federal policy manager at the U.S. Green Building Council, wrote in a blog post, suggesting the program has emerged stronger after the back-and-forth.

Why it matters: More than 790,000 Americans are employed in manufacturing or installing Energy Star-certified products, including HVAC equipment, according to its website. 

Between the lines: In May, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin floated privatizing Energy Star; however, it’s unlikely “now that Congress has stipulated that money be spent to keep the program within the government,” NPR reported. 

• Meanwhile, the EPA has renewed four contracts — one through 2030 — with a consulting firm that helps administer the program, according to federal records.  

Yes, but: Some uncertainty remains, as Energy Star lost longtime staffers in 2025 due to federal buyouts, early retirements, layoffs, and reorganization efforts within the EPA.

• “The Energy Star program is not fully out of the woods yet,” said Jeremy Symons, senior advisor at the Environmental Protection Network. “It’s one thing to keep the Energy Star program alive and fully funded, but what we really need is for the program to be fully staffed.”
• Rogers added that the U.S. Green Building Council will be “watching closely” how the program is administered going forward.