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
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