National Bureau of Standards physicist Laurence Andrews monitored
a variety of ranges to test their energy efficiency (1976)
-from NIST Photographic Collection, Appliance Efficiency Labeling
The National Bureau of Standards developed efficiency improvement targets and test procedures to calculate household appliance efficiency to help the Department of Energy (DOE) meet its responsibilities under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (1975). The Act required the DOE to develop procedures to test the energy efficiency of certain appliances, set energy efficiency targets for appliances, and monitor efforts by manufacturers to improve efficiency. As a result, since the late 1980s, consumers have been able to look at numbers on yellow stickers and quickly compare the operating costs of appliances they are considering buying.
