California Imposes Rule for Efficiency on Some TVs
Recognizing that giant new flat-panel televisions have become major power guzzlers, California on Wednesday became the first state to impose energy efficiency standards on them.
The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to apply the standard, which would take effect in 2011. There is no federal energy-efficiency standard for televisions.
California, which often leads the nation in taking action on environmental issues, banned power-hungry refrigerators and air- conditioners in the 1970s and has enforced strong energy codes on residential and commercial buildings for decades. But the new regulation may prove the most challenging to consumers’ tastes.
The rule does not cover televisions currently in use or for sale. But it would require that most television sets sold in California consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less by 2013. The standards would apply to televisions with a screen size of up to 58 inches.
“Californians buy four million televisions each year, and they deserve the most energy-efficient models available,” said Karen Douglas, who heads the energy commission, the primary energy policy and planning agency.
The commission estimated in a news release that the regulations would save the state over $8 billion in energy costs over 10 years, enough to power 864,000 single-family homes annually.
The commission noted that more than 1,000 current television models meet the 2011 standards; industry experts said about a quarter of all flat televisions on the market could eventually be eliminated.
Some recent models are bigger users of energy than many refrigerators. Televisions, along with accessories like DVD players and cable boxes, account for about 10 percent of the average family’s electricity use in California, accounting for about 2 percent of the state’s total electricity use, according to the commission.
The new flat televisions with their liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies use more than three times the power of traditional cathode ray tube sets, the commission said.
Efficiency standards cover many appliances; but, until now, government regulators have been reluctant to set standards for consumer electronics like televisions and game consoles, and manufacturers have lobbied hard against such proposals.
The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing the manufacturers, opposed the new California regulation, saying that it would hamper innovation, limit consumer choice and raise prices.
“It’s unjustified and unnecessary,” said Douglas Johnson, the association’s senior director of technology policy. “Current government programs like Energy Star provide competitive, market-based incentives for energy efficiency. Today we have energy-efficient televisions.”
But environmentalists said that Energy Star, the voluntary labeling program set up by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, is not strong enough to keep energy-guzzling televisions off the market. They applauded California’s new regulations, and noted that as the most populous state, California frequently moves market supply and demand in electronics products.
“It’s going to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions from appliances that people use every day and they still get to watch TV,” said Matthew Lewis, spokesman for ClimateWorks, an energy and climate change policy foundation. “Under a voluntary system, it’s a crap shoot determining how many of the efficient TVs will be purchased.”
While the rest of the country has increased its per capita electricity consumption by 40 percent over the last three decades, California’s consumption has remained flat, leading some environmentalists to view the state as a model for the rest of the nation.
Recognizing that giant new flat-panel televisions have become major power guzzlers, California on Wednesday became the first state to impose energy efficiency standards on them.
The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to apply the standard, which would take effect in 2011. There is no federal energy-efficiency standard for televisions.
California, which often leads the nation in taking action on environmental issues, banned power-hungry refrigerators and air- conditioners in the 1970s and has enforced strong energy codes on residential and commercial buildings for decades. But the new regulation may prove the most challenging to consumers’ tastes.
The rule does not cover televisions currently in use or for sale. But it would require that most television sets sold in California consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less by 2013. The standards would apply to televisions with a screen size of up to 58 inches.
“Californians buy four million televisions each year, and they deserve the most energy-efficient models available,” said Karen Douglas, who heads the energy commission, the primary energy policy and planning agency.
The commission estimated in a news release that the regulations would save the state over $8 billion in energy costs over 10 years, enough to power 864,000 single-family homes annually.
The commission noted that more than 1,000 current television models meet the 2011 standards; industry experts said about a quarter of all flat televisions on the market could eventually be eliminated.
Some recent models are bigger users of energy than many refrigerators. Televisions, along with accessories like DVD players and cable boxes, account for about 10 percent of the average family’s electricity use in California, accounting for about 2 percent of the state’s total electricity use, according to the commission.
The new flat televisions with their liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies use more than three times the power of traditional cathode ray tube sets, the commission said.
Efficiency standards cover many appliances; but, until now, government regulators have been reluctant to set standards for consumer electronics like televisions and game consoles, and manufacturers have lobbied hard against such proposals.
The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing the manufacturers, opposed the new California regulation, saying that it would hamper innovation, limit consumer choice and raise prices.
“It’s unjustified and unnecessary,” said Douglas Johnson, the association’s senior director of technology policy. “Current government programs like Energy Star provide competitive, market-based incentives for energy efficiency. Today we have energy-efficient televisions.”
But environmentalists said that Energy Star, the voluntary labeling program set up by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, is not strong enough to keep energy-guzzling televisions off the market. They applauded California’s new regulations, and noted that as the most populous state, California frequently moves market supply and demand in electronics products.
“It’s going to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions from appliances that people use every day and they still get to watch TV,” said Matthew Lewis, spokesman for ClimateWorks, an energy and climate change policy foundation. “Under a voluntary system, it’s a crap shoot determining how many of the efficient TVs will be purchased.”
While the rest of the country has increased its per capita electricity consumption by 40 percent over the last three decades, California’s consumption has remained flat, leading some environmentalists to view the state as a model for the rest of the nation.
Source: New York Times
