How do you compare three hot water heaters when all three brands are "refreshed" each year, so the specific models aren't listed on CR?
It's easier for consumer groups like CR to back-stop the regulatory agencies by identifying and reporting fraudulent self-reports.
If there are products that don't have reviews at all, just don't buy them in favor of those that do. In markets where consumers are choosy (e.g. films) companies often ensure reviewers have early access to products to ensure reviews are plentiful.
You're failing to consider the alternative no-EnergyStar scenario -- higher aggregate electricity demand, requiring more power plants, so everyone pays more for power.
Either you pay pennies to promote efficiency, or you pay quarters for energy infrastructure.
Not sure this is the elastic droid that paradox is looking for.
Household energy use is not such a good, because most uses have fixed utility.
Very few people are going to cool their house down to 10C because the price of cooling to 15C decreased.
Nor is their overall energy use budget-capped. (Outside of low income AC and/or heating use cases)
Example: as a regulated utility it will often cost more per unit if underused vs optimal generating supply (which has already been passed through into rates)
Additionally, the generating source heavily influences ultimate cost.
When you need to pay the king's taxes with the king's money as otherwise the king's men will beat you up, which is why you'll give the king's soldiers food in exchange for the king's money.
> companies often ensure reviewers
LOL! Of course they do! Companies pick reviewers who give good reviews, and spurn those who are critical. You every wonder why most game reviewers are so fawning?
Consumer Reports knows this, which is why they buy their products on the market, which is why they can't have reviews with the product first comes out.
Which is why when a product is first released you'll rarely find honest negative reviews.
Who rates the reviewers? Are they shilling for the manufacturer? Are they the marketing arm of the manufacturer? How do you know?
Yes, companies can choose who gets to review pre-release products. Negative pre-release reviews come out anyway, and if you don't trust them you can wait, as you say. Reviewers who aren't trusted by people looking for reviews rapidly lose their audience and stop being given product access.
You guys are talking as if product reviews are some theoretical thing that don't exist today, that only a government can supply. Reviews obviously do exist and billions of people rely on them every month. There is just no problem that specifically requires the US government to step in here.
Yes, and so can Canadian Tire money, but try paying your taxes in scrip or Bitcoin.
> and if you don't trust them you can wait
Nope. Models numbers are cheap. Each chain can get their own model number, updated every six months. You wait and the numbers all change.
> Reviewers who aren't trusted by people
You're smoking the good stuff!
"Up to 30% of online reviews are fake and consumers can't tell the difference", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33472922
"Big media publishers are inundating the web with subpar product recommendations", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39433451
See also the comments of HNers who find it hard to find trusted reviewers.
How do you find a trusted reviewer for air purifiers, which that last link concerns?