A customer looks at a display of televisions as she shops at a Costco in San Francisco.California may be the first state in the nation to ban power-guzzling big-screen televisions. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Pleas and lobbying efforts from the influential Consumer Electronic Association didn’t appear to sway the state’s Energy Commission which appeared poised to put a cap on big-screen TV power-guzzlers, the Los Angeles Times reported from Sacramento.
California Energy Commission may vote as soon as Nov. 4 to implement the new state regulation.
But, executives and consultants for the Arlington, VA based trade group asked the commission to instead let consumers decide whether or not they want to buy the most energy saving new models, which are liquid crystal displays (LCD) and plasma high-definition TVs.
The trade association argued that state’s government should not interfere with industry innovation and warned that the new measure could prove expensive to manufacturers and consumers, the newspaper reported.
Representatives of some TV makers did not appear to back up the influential trade association saying that tighter state standards wouldn’t substantially increase the prices for manufacturers and consumers alike.
And according to the state’s Energy Commission staff estimates California’s 35 million TVs and related electronic devices consume about 10% of all household electricity. Manufacturers are already developing new ways to make 50-inch-screens much more economical to operate.
New technology includes light-emitting diodes that consume much less power as well as special reflective films and sensors that would automatically adjust TV brightness to a room’s viewing conditions. The new features would significantly reduce energy consumption, according to experts.
If the new measure comes to fruition, the average first-year savings from reduced electricity consumption would be at least $30 per television set, translating to $912 million in energy saving statewide, according to the energy commission.
Consumer Electronics Association officials disputed that figure, arguing that it was based on out-of-date numbers.
