California targets flat screen televisions to save energy

California is planning to phase out energy-guzzling flat screen televisions to reduce pressure on the state's over-stretched power grid.

By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles Last Updated: 6:32PM GMT 05 Jan 2009

Legislators are drawing up the first rules in the US requiring retailers to sell only "green" televisions, the most energy-efficient models, from 2011.
The move is opposed by some television manufacturers who say the regulations could bump up the average price of televisions, limit consumer choice and encourage shoppers to buy online or outside the state for models not covered by the rules.
Energy regulators, however, say curbing the number of power-hungry television sets in the state could save as much energy as used by over 86,000 homes.
California, the nation's most populous state, requires huge amounts of power for its energy-hungry industries and population. Alerts ordering consumers to conserve energy are issued to prevent blackouts during times of peak use, such as during hot weather, and regulators constantly seek ways to reduce the strain on the grid.
Similar rules requiring refrigerators and other domestic appliances to be energy efficient have been in place for decades.
Flat-screen televisions use far more energy than conventional models and some plasma screen televisions demand up to four times as much.
"I think this is basically doable," Arthur Rosenfeld, a state Energy Commission member, told the Los Angeles Times. "Refrigerators and air conditioner manufacturers have grown up with standards, and, now, they are generally considered successes. But this is a new wrinkle for the TV industry."
Manufacturers, however, remain sceptical. "We can accomplish this without regulation as a result of innovation and voluntary approaches," Doug Johnson, senior director of technology at the Consumer Electronics Association. in Arlington, Virginia, told the paper.