New EnergyStar Standards Released for Televisions

September 11th, 2009 by Beth Graddon-Hodgson

Attaining an EnergyStar rating is crucial for companies creating home electronics and appliances if they want to appeal to the eco-minded or cost-conscious consumer, which these days can be found in virtually every North American and many European households. New standards have just been released (on September 3rd) that encourage television manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint and the size of their screens.

The Version4 EnergyStar sticker which will be released in May 2010 will require that all TVs be 40% more efficient than their counterparts that meet the qualifications from the EnergyStar rating today. The Version5 sticker will have even stricter requirements with a 65% increase in energy efficiency over the current EnergyStar certified entertainment technologies that are in homes today. EnergyStar ratings will be based on TVs that are in “on” mode, although they will also evaluate those that are in stand by or downloading programming without viewing.

TVs over 50 inches are not likely to meet EnergyStar rating standards since they have the same efficiency requirements as those 50 inches and under at 108 KW. Without the EnergyStar rating on larger televisions, home owners looking to reduce their consumption by purchasing home entertainment systems with the efficiency rating will need look on the smaller end of the television spectrum. Since television energy consumption can equate to 50,000 KW per year in the US alone, tightening the requirements for EnergyStar standards will help cut costs and reduce the carbon footprint we each make in our enjoyment of home entertainment.

Via: CNET News , Image Via: Flickr Diametric with a Creative Commons License

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: big screen TVs, carbon footprint reduction, EnergyStar, home entertainment, television efficiency standards

About the Author

Beth Graddon-Hodgson

http://www.greentech-bg.net Sevdalina Peeva

“There are about 275 million TVs currently in use in the U.S., consuming over 50 billion kWh of energy each year” – would You please check your numbers? 50 000 kW seems to be wrong…may be not…
http://www.greentech-bg.net Sevdalina Peeva

“There are about 275 million TVs currently in use in the U.S., consuming over 50 billion kWh of energy each year” – would You please check your numbers? 50 000 kW seems to be wrong…may be not…
MD

I still have a 26 year old tube TV, recycled from a curbside…

Although I am considering a Vizio Eco line LCD – Vizio VECO320L 32” LCD HDTV

Power Consumption 84W (average), 0.4W standby.

No I don’t work for Vizio..
MD

I still have a 26 year old tube TV, recycled from a curbside…

Although I am considering a Vizio Eco line LCD – Vizio VECO320L 32” LCD HDTV

Power Consumption 84W (average), 0.4W standby.

No I don’t work for Vizio..
http://www.writesourcing.com Beth Graddon-Hodgson

Thanks for reading! I agree completely, we recently traded up from an old 24″ non-flat screen to a more efficient and slightly larger 37″. I don’t like watching huge TVs either, and hate the way they look in a room, but this size is great. Sales people are generally there just to tell you what you want to hear, which isn’t necessarily consistent with valid information. Even before the new stickers are released and displayed on TVs, look for 50 inches or under at 109KW or less.
http://www.writesourcing.com Beth Graddon-Hodgson

Thanks for reading! I agree completely, we recently traded up from an old 24″ non-flat screen to a more efficient and slightly larger 37″. I don’t like watching huge TVs either, and hate the way they look in a room, but this size is great. Sales people are generally there just to tell you what you want to hear, which isn’t necessarily consistent with valid information. Even before the new stickers are released and displayed on TVs, look for 50 inches or under at 109KW or less.
California Reader

Thank you for this article. My husband has been wanting to trade “up” to a much larger screen when the time comes to change our now 24″ set. I have been resisting, based on environmental concerns, hoping that there may be a compromise possible through technical advances in the products. I personally feel that the really big screens are unpleasant to watch, but now I have an actual set size to focus on should we be in a position to need to trade this one in. I don’t generally find sales people to be the best source on the topic when we shop, so other sources are critical when looking for energy using products.
California Reader

Thank you for this article. My husband has been wanting to trade “up” to a much larger screen when the time comes to change our now 24″ set. I have been resisting, based on environmental concerns, hoping that there may be a compromise possible through technical advances in the products. I personally feel that the really big screens are unpleasant to watch, but now I have an actual set size to focus on should we be in a position to need to trade this one in. I don’t generally find sales people to be the best source on the topic when we shop, so other sources are critical when looking for energy using products.