EnergyStar is it graded like the EU system

Reporting from Sacramento — That 52-inch, flat-screen television on the family room wall may have a terrific picture, but there's a big drawback: It's an energy hog.

State regulators are getting ready to curb the growing power gluttony of TV sets by drafting the nation's first rules to require retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient televisions starting in 2011.

The consumer electronics industry opposes the new regulations, expected to pass in mid-2009, and claims that they could remove some TVs from store shelves and slightly boost sticker prices.
But the California Energy Commission is looking for ways to relieve the power grid. Officials say the proposed standards, once fully in place, would reduce the state's annual energy needs by the same amount of power consumed by 86,400 homes.

During a peak TV-viewing time when most of the state's TV sets are on, such as the Super Bowl, they collectively suck up the equivalent of 40% of the power generated by the San Onofre nuclear power station when it's running full blast. Televisions account for about 10% of the average Californian's monthly household electricity bill.

Some manufacturers could struggle to meet the new standards, particularly those that make plasma TVs. And the regulations could create a gray market, sending consumers intent on buying power-hungry models to Amazon.com and other Internet retailers based outside the state.

Television sales are growing by 4 million a year, and the vast majority are flat-panels. LCD -- liquid crystal display -- sets on average use 43% more electricity than conventional, picture-tube TVs, and larger models proportionately more. Plasma TVs, which command a relatively small piece of the market, need over three times as much power as bulky, old-style sets.

The regulations would be phased in over two years, with a first tier taking effect on Jan. 1, 2011, and a more stringent second tier on Jan. 1, 2013. Purchasers of Tier 1-compliant TVs would shave an average of $18.48 off a residential electric bill in the first year of ownership, the Energy Commission estimates. Tier 2 sets would save an additional $11.76 a year.

Over the years, California has pioneered similar tough standards for appliances, home insulation and food service equipment that eventually were adopted by the federal government and promoted to consumers with utility rebate programs.
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What's more, Rosenfeld noted that a number of television makers already produce models that meet the proposed commission efficiency standards and, indeed, 87% of current stock complies with the planned 2011 threshold. That deadline may be pushed back a bit if industry needs a little more time "to get used to the standards," he said.