TV manufacturers power down (article)

[HDTV1080P]

quote

"TV manufacturers have made great strides in reducing the power consumption of their products over the last couple of years. But the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program, as well as at least one state, is pushing them to cut consumption even more."

"Meanwhile, TV makers are waiting to see what happens at the California Energy Commission (CEC), which has proposed energy standards for TVs sold in the state. It would require 42-inch TVs to consume 183W or less by 2011, dropping to 115.5W by 2013. Although the proposed rules would be less stringent than and go into effect later than Energy Star’s Tier 2, manufacturers have launched a full-scale campaign to try to defeat the measure. That’s because the California standard would be a requirement, whereas Energy Star is voluntary."

"In April, CEA released a study that said CEC’s proposal would harm consumers, businesses and government tax revenues. The study, commissioned from consultant Resolutions Economics LLC, claims that the requirement would lead to higher prices on TVs as well as store closings, increased unemployment and lost tax revenues because a significant share of TV models would have to be pulled off retail shelves."

"The biggest fear of TV manufacturers may be that such energy efficiency rules will spread to other states. According to Sharp, the legislatures in three other states – Washington, Maryland, and Massachusetts – have proposed similar rules, although the proposals have not been adopted."

http://www.edn.com/article/CA6660378...357&rid=464848

[skygreenleopard]

What a crock - I love California, but this is an example of stupid legislation that makes the rest of the country hate us. I understand the need for CAFE standards and mileage per gallon restrictions on cars, but TVs? C'mon.

You can engineer a smaller car that still gets you from Point A to Point B more efficiently, but a TV is only a picture - any changes to that directly impact its functionality. You can argue that you use only one seat of a car and thus have no need for a truck bed/back seat/V8 engine, but you never only watch part of a TV screen or ever have an urge to view it only halfway dimmed. Are TVs really that big a problem?

Seems to me like that pro-hybrid legislation that gets you tax cuts for buying a 40mpg Prius, yet I get no benefit for choosing a 35mpg conventional compact car. It completely misses the point...