Some Refrigerator Owners Can Claim Cash Payments

French Door Models Failed to Achieve Energy Star Compliance

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Owners of LG French door refrigerators like this one are eligible for cash payments and a free upgrade to improve energy efficiency.

Photo: LG Refrigerator Offer

By Dan Shapley

The owners of certain LG and Kenmore refrigerators are eligible for cash payments and a free upgrade to boost energy efficiency because the models failed to achieve the energy savings touted on their EnergyStar labels, according to the Department of Energy.

LG settled a dispute with the Department of Energy by offering a three-part compensation to people who bought the refrigerators. The company will visit your home to install a modification that will make the refrigerator more energy efficient. It will make a payment covering the energy cost difference between the new measured energy usage of the product and the amount stated on the original Energy Guide label. Finally, the company will pay customers for future incremental energy usage for the lifetime of the product. LG is also temporarily withdrawing the models from the EnergyStar program, which rates products on energy use so customers can choose models that consume less electricity and cost less money over their lifetimes.

According to the Department of Energy: "To effectively measure the savings associated with the Energy Star program, all partners must report energy consumption data based on the same standardized test procedures. Those procedures require the ice maker to be disabled but require all temperature-controllable compartments, including ice storage bins, to be set at their coldest temperature, a condition missed by LG's test procedure. Under its agreement with DOE, LG will modify its test procedure to help assure that consumers have accurate information."

Consumer Reports has criticized the government's methods for evaluating the efficiency of refrigerators, claiming that the standards don't reflect real-world conditions, particularly since most people would use the energy-intensive ice maker.

To claim the compensation, call 1-888-848-1266 or visit www.lgrefrigeratoroffer.com (photos are also available to help identify models). Also see the Department of Energy fact sheet on the settlement.