The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published what it described as “The Final Draft Version 3.0” which deals with product specifications for Energy Star-qualified commercial refrigerators and freezers. The standards will take effect Oct. 1, 2014.

In a Dec. 13, 2013 statement, the EPA said, “Commercial refrigerators and freezers that meet these new criteria will provide significant savings to purchasers. If all commercial refrigerators and freezers in the United States met the new Energy Star specification, the savings in energy costs would grow to more than $360 million each year.”

The statement went on to say that “commercial refrigerators and freezers that earn the label will use, on average, between 40 and 65 percent and 40 and 86 percent less energy than standard models respectively, depending on the equipment class and volume.”