ENERGY STAR® Accreditation Now Available
L-A-B approved to accredit laboratories to new EPA ENERGY STAR® Requirements
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in regards to their new ENERGY STAR® Verification Testing Guidelines and Procedures. L-A-B is approved to accredit laboratories and accepting applications and scope expansions today to fulfill the requirements of the ENERGY STAR® initiative.
ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy. The symbol and label already appears on home and office products that comply with energy savings requirements. The use of the label is also to be used for appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, even residential and commercial construction and buildings.
July 1, 2009 is the date set by the EPA for verification testing under the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Computers Version 5.0 will begin. The verification testing guidelines and procedures for conducting product testing as specified in the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Computers include:
• Computer Verification Testing Milestones
• Reporting Deadlines
• EPA Selection of Computer Manufacturing Partners & Products
• Partner Selecting of Testing Laboratory
• Laboratory Computer Procurement and Sampling
• Laboratory Sample Receiving and Handling
• Sample Testing and Reporting
• Submission of Final Report
• Product Failure and Delisting Process
Amongst the products that will be affected by the ENERGY STAR® program:
Desktop Computers • Integrated Desktop Computers • Notebook Computers • Workstations • Game Consoles • Small-Scale Servers • Thin Clients • Computer Servers (as defined in Version 1.0 Computer Server specification) • Handhelds, PDAs, and Smart phones
According to the EPA's document, in order to conduct verification testing to determine whether the computer products meet the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Computers Version 5.0 requirements, laboratories must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. The accreditation body must be a signatory to an internationally recognized mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
L-A-B is a full member signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, www.ilac.org ). L-A-B accredited laboratories' test reports and calibration certificates will be accepted as equivalents by all ILAC MRA signatories. (61 signatories worldwide). Laboratory Accreditation Bureau is also a signatory to the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement and recongized by NACLA (National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation, www.nacla.net ).
Laboratories seeking to meet the ENERGY STAR® are urged to begin the process immediately by requesting a cost estimate through www.L-A-B.com, or contacting our offices at (877) 476-5227.
For detailed requirements visit ENERGY Star's Website (http://www.energystar.gov )
L-A-B is an independent third party Accreditation Body whose mission is to Improve Testing and Calibration Laboratories worldwide through ISO 17025 Accreditation.