Seeing that voluntary guidelines don’t really work, California becomes the first US state to set tough environmental standards on the electricity-hogging TVs of our era. Kirk Laughlin reports.
When famed movie director Steve Spielberg decides to preview his new films in his private studio in Los Angeles a few years from now, he most likely will be looking at a far more energy efficient flat screen than what is available on the market today.
Over strident objections from the Consumer Electronics Association, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved new regulations on the sale of smarter TVs this week. The rules stipulate that televisions sold in the state beginning in 2011 must consume 33 percent less electricity than current models and 49 percent less by 2013. The law only applies to TVs that are under 58 inches wide.
“Californians buy four million televisions each year, and they deserve the most energy-efficient models available,” said Karen Douglas, chair of the energy commission. One of the central facts staring the commission in the face is that new flat panel models, possessing crystal displays and plasma technology, demand three times more electricity than the old style cathode ray tube boxes. The new rules are expected to cut the state’s electricity use by nearly 1 percent, which translates into the state not needing another 500-megawatt power plant to support additional demands for power.
California has frequently been the first state in the country to establish new legal and political standards, only to witness other states quickly follow in the state’s footsteps.
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