That just shows specifications. I don't see a way to _confirm_ that the device I currently have in my hands, bearing the Energy Star logo, has actually earned it.

Oh, I see where I misunderstood. I agree there doesn't appear to be a built in way to check, given a label, that the label is legit.

However, I was able to at least verify the label on my dishwasher by doing a google search for `site:energystar.gov <model number>` and seeing that that model comes up in the search results.

After some more digging around I think the expectation is that the trust would stem from an assumed effectiveness of the FTC to squash materially misleading advertising. Though even that needs someone to first notice a discrepancy and bother to look into it.

Kinda like how we trust that the nutrition information box on food is accurate because anyone selling food that falsifies that is going to have a bad time when the FDA comes knocking.

Is it possible to find sketchy products? Yeah, but there's often signs they're sketchy. If it's a concern for you, stick to large, established brands from large, established retailers. They're getting scrutinized up down and sideways for this kind of stuff.