Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Read the Yellow EnergyGuide Label Before You Buy

Decode the estimated yearly cost and the comparison scale on a major appliance's EnergyGuide label, and see what the estimate leaves out
ApplicabilityMajor home appliances sold in the United States that must carry an EnergyGuide label under the FTC's rule: boilers, ceiling fans, central air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, furnaces, heat pumps, pool heaters, refrigerators, room and portable air conditioners, televisions, and water heaters
Task time6 min to 27 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-08-04
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

Most major appliances sold in the United States carry a yellow-and-black EnergyGuide label: refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, freezers, central air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, pool heaters, water heaters, room and portable air conditioners, and televisions. The label sits inside the appliance door, on the front of the appliance, or on the box, and it puts two things in front of a shopper: a dollar figure for the estimated yearly cost to run that model, and a yellow scale showing where this model falls between the cheapest and the most expensive model like it. A separate blue ENERGY STAR mark sometimes appears on or near the label, and it is not the same thing.

The dollar figure is not a preview of your utility bill. The Federal Trade Commission says so directly: it is only an estimate, built from typical use and a national average price for energy, not your household's habits or your local rate. This page explains where to find each part of the label, what the estimate assumes, and what it leaves out, using the FTC's own consumer guidance and the FTC's and ENERGY STAR's own descriptions of the two marks. It does not publish a cost for any specific model or for your home — only the label on the appliance in front of you, and your own utility bill, can give you that.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
EnergyGuide label on the applianceFind the label before you compare two appliances.
Pen and paper, or your phone optionalRecord the estimated yearly cost and the scale position for each model.
A recent electricity bill optionalUse your own rate to judge the estimate on the label.

Find the label

Estimated 1 min to 3 min

  1. Find the yellow EnergyGuide label on the appliance.
    • The label is often inside the appliance door.
    • The label can also sit on the front of the appliance or on the box.
    <1m
  2. If you do not see the label on the appliance, look inside the appliance for the label.
    <1m
  3. If you still do not find the label, check the seller website or the manufacturer website for the label.
    <1m

Read the estimated yearly cost

Estimated under a minute

Estimated yearly operating cost printed on an EnergyGuide label
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE DOLLAR AMOUNT DIRECTLY FROM THE LABEL ON THIS SPECIFIC MODEL

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

NOTICE

DO NOT READ THE DOLLAR AMOUNT ON THE LABEL AS YOUR ACTUAL BILL.
The amount is only an estimate, and your own cost can differ from it.

  1. Find the dollar amount printed at the bottom of the label.
    • This dollar amount is an estimate of the yearly cost for this model.
    • The estimate uses a national average price for energy, not your local price.
    <1m
  2. Record the estimated yearly cost for each model that you compare.
    <1m

Read the comparison scale

Estimated under a minute

  1. Find the yellow comparison scale on the label.
    • The scale shows the lowest cost and the highest cost for similar models.
    • A marker on the scale shows the position of this model.
    <1m
  2. Compare the marker position on the scale between two models.
    • A marker near the low end means the model is more efficient.
    • A marker near the high end means the model is less efficient.
    <1m

Know what the estimate leaves out

Estimated under a minute to 5 min

National average energy price used in the EnergyGuide cost estimate
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR THE CURRENT NATIONAL AVERAGE PRICE

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Do not read the estimated yearly cost as your actual bill.
    • The estimate assumes a typical amount of use.
    • The national average price can differ from your own local price.
    <1m
  2. Contact your utility company for your own electricity price.
    • Only your utility company gives your own rate.
    <1m

Tell the label from the ENERGY STAR mark

Estimated under a minute

NOTICE

DO NOT USE THE ENERGY STAR MARK IN PLACE OF THE ENERGYGUIDE LABEL.
Each mark gives its own information.

  1. Find the ENERGY STAR mark on the appliance, if it has one.
    • The ENERGY STAR mark is blue.
    • Not every appliance carries an ENERGY STAR mark.
    • The ENERGY STAR mark is separate from the EnergyGuide label.
    <1m
  2. Use the ENERGY STAR mark to find an efficient model.
    • The mark shows that the appliance meets the EPA guideline for efficiency.
    • The mark gives no cost estimate of its own.
    <1m
  3. If two models carry the ENERGY STAR mark, then compare their EnergyGuide labels to choose between them.
    <1m

Compare models before you buy

Estimated 3 min to 17 min

  1. Measure the space for the appliance before you buy it.
    • Make sure the appliance door can open fully in the space.
    • Make sure the space gives clearance for safe ventilation.
    1m
  2. Read expert reviews and customer reviews for each model you compare.
    2m
  3. Ask the seller or your utility company about a rebate for an efficient model.
    <1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

EnergyGuide label
Also called: yellow energy label, yellow tag on appliance, energy label, the yellow sticker on my fridge, appliance energy label
estimated yearly operating cost
Also called: how much will this cost to run, yearly running cost, operating cost estimate, appliance running cost label, how much will this fridge cost to run
ENERGY STAR mark
Also called: energy star label, blue energy star sticker, energy star certified, energy star vs energyguide
comparison scale
Also called: yellow bar on the label, cost range on the label, highest and lowest cost range
national average energy price
Also called: average electricity price, national average cost of electricity, average energy cost used on labels

When to use a professional

Read the dollar amount on the label of the appliance in front of you. This page does not give a cost for your appliance.

Contact your utility company for your own electricity price. Only your utility company gives your own rate.

If an appliance does not carry a label, contact the seller or the manufacturer. The Appliance Labeling Rule requires a label on most major appliances.

Contact the U.S. Department of Energy for the current energy price. This price is the national average that the estimate uses.

Common questions

What is the yellow EnergyGuide label?

It's the yellow-and-black tag the Federal Trade Commission requires on most major home appliances — refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, freezers, central air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, pool heaters, water heaters, room and portable air conditioners, and televisions. The FTC's own description is direct: it's 'the yellow tag you'll find attached to most home appliances, and it tells you how much energy that appliance uses.' It usually sits inside the appliance door, on the front of the appliance, or on the box. Two things on it matter most: the estimated yearly operating cost, and a scale showing how this model compares to similar ones.

How much will this fridge actually cost me to run?

The label gives you an estimate, not a bill, and the FTC says so plainly: it's 'only an estimate, based on typical use and a national average price for energy,' and 'your cost will depend on how you use the appliance and your local energy price.' If your household uses the appliance more than a typical household, or your local electricity price is higher than the national average the label used, your real cost will run higher than the printed number — and the reverse is also true. Nobody but your own utility bill can tell you the actual figure.

What's the difference between EnergyGuide and ENERGY STAR?

They're two separate marks from two separate agencies. The EnergyGuide label is managed by the Federal Trade Commission and estimates a specific model's yearly energy use and cost; the blue ENERGY STAR mark is a certification from the Environmental Protection Agency for a product that 'meets strict guidelines for energy savings,' without giving a dollar figure of its own. A model can carry an ENERGY STAR mark and still cost more or less to run than another ENERGY STAR model — that's exactly what the EnergyGuide label's comparison scale is for. Manufacturers sometimes print the ENERGY STAR mark right on the EnergyGuide label itself, but the two are still answering different questions.

Which appliances actually have to carry the label?

The FTC lists thirteen categories: boilers, ceiling fans, central air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, furnaces, heat pumps, pool heaters, refrigerators, televisions, water heaters, and room and portable air conditioners. Plenty of appliances people expect to see it on — microwaves, coffee makers, most small kitchen appliances — simply aren't covered by the rule and won't carry one. If a covered appliance is missing its label on the showroom floor, the FTC's own advice is to look inside the appliance, or check the seller's or manufacturer's website.

Does the yellow scale matter, or is the dollar figure enough?

Both matter, and they answer different questions. The dollar figure gives you one model's estimated cost in isolation; the scale is what turns that into a comparison, because it shows where this specific model sits between the lowest-cost and highest-cost model in its class, in the FTC's own words. A dollar figure that looks high in isolation can still mark this model as the cheapest one on the scale, if every similar model costs more to run — read both together before you decide a price is good or bad.

My appliance doesn't have a label anywhere. What now?

First, look again — the FTC says the label is often inside the appliance rather than on the front, particularly on enclosed appliances like refrigerators. If you still can't find one on a covered appliance, check the seller's website or the manufacturer's website; manufacturers are required to publish their labels online. And if the appliance is one of the categories that don't require a label at all — most small kitchen appliances, for instance — there was never a label to find.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1How To Use the EnergyGuide Label To Shop for Home AppliancesFederal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31
  2. Tier 1EnergyGuide LabelsFederal Trade Commission · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31
  3. Tier 1What's the Difference Between the Energy Guide and ENERGY STAR?ENERGY STAR (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) · accessed 2026-08-04 · re-verification due 2027-01-31

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04

  1. v1 · 2026-08-04First draft, as a reference record rather than a procedure, per the backlog note to scaffold this topic as a reference. Every claim traces to the FTC's own consumer-advice article, the FTC's EnergyGuide Labels topic page, and ENERGY STAR's own explainer of the difference between the two marks — all fetched and read directly on 2026-08-04, none read through a third-party restatement. No dollar figure and no national average energy price is published as a number on this page: the yearly cost is per model and per year respectively, so both specifications publish as an instruction to read the label or consult the Department of Energy rather than as a guessed figure. Scoped to reading the label itself, not to any single appliance category, and does not restate a specific model's cost or name a retailer, per the backlog's commercial-adjacency note.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

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