California proposes new TV energy efficiency standards

Monday, September 21st, 2009
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The California Energy Commission proposes to make changes to the Appliance Efficiency Standards contained in the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 20, Sections 1601 through 1608. The proposed energy efficiency standards would cover new televisions offered for sale in California beginning in 2011 and 2013. The standards would improve the energy efficiency of televisions without affecting the quality of the television.

In California, televisions (along with DVRs, DVD players, and cable/satellite boxes) now consume about 10 percent of a home’s electricity. Increasing sales of flat screen televisions, larger screen sizes, the growing number of TVs per household, and increased daily use of televisions all contribute to greater electricity consumption.

The proposed standards have no effect on existing televisions. If approved, they would only apply to TVs sold in California after January 1, 2011. The first standard (Tier 1) would take effect January 1, 2011, and reduce energy consumption by an average of 33 percent. The second measure (Tier 2) would take effect in 2013 and, in conjunction with Tier 1, reduce energy consumption by an average of 49 percent.

Effective Date Screen Size (area A in square inches) Maximum TV Standby-passive Mode Power Usage (watts) Maximum On Mode Power Usage (P in Watts) Minimum Power Factor for (P ≥ 100W)
January 1, 2006 All 3 W No standard No standard
January 1, 2011 A ≤ 1400 1 W P ≤ 0.20 x A + 32 0.9
January 1, 2013 A ≤ 1400 1 W P ≤ 0.12 x A + 25 0.9

The technology to make TVs more energy efficient is available now and currently used now in a variety of models. As of the summer of 2009, early 850 models already meet the 2011 standard; and of those, 231 models meet the 2013 standard.

More: Appliance Efficiency Regulations Pertaining to Television Efficiency