Policy Report: New Efficiency Standards Proposed for California Televisions

A recently released proposal would set new  energy efficiency standards for televisions sold in the State of California.

According to the California Energy Commission  (CEC), television use in California has been growing for decades, thanks to a  greater number of televisions per household, increased daily use of each  television, increasingly larger screen sizes and the advent of flashy new  television technologies. In fact, the CEC estimates that televisions and associated  equipment such as DVD players now consume about 10 percent of electricity in  homes. 

To address this growing energy demand, the CEC  has proposed new efficiency standards for televisions. The first standards  would go into effect in 2011 and would require most televisions sold in the  state to consume an average of 33 percent less electricity than today. In 2013  the standard would tighten, covering a greater swath of the television market and  requiring televisions to consume an average of 49 percent less electricity than  today.