ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Energy star

Energy Star is a special label that you might see on certain appliances or electronics. It means that the thing you're looking at is really good at using energy in a smart way!

So, what does energy mean? Energy is like the fuel that lets things work. Imagine a car needs gas to run. Just like a car needs gas, all kinds of things we use need energy to work. That's where power plants come in, they make energy that we can use in our homes.

But not all energy is created equal. Some types are clean and don’t hurt the environment. Others use too much energy that isn't good for the earth. That's where Energy Star comes in. When you see the Energy Star label, it means that the appliance or electronic you're looking at uses energy in a clean and efficient way.

Think of it like this - if you were trying to see which car was the best, you could look for something called "MPG" - this tells you how many miles per gallon the car can go. If you saw a car with a high MPG, you'd know that it's really efficient and uses less gas. Energy Star is kind of like that, except instead of measuring how many miles a car can go, it measures how much energy an appliance uses.

So, by choosing things with the Energy Star label, you can know that you're making smart choices that will help keep the earth healthy while you enjoy all the cool things in your home!