Noah Horowitz's Blog: Solving Global Warming

Black Friday Shopper's Guide to Energy Efficient TVs

2009-11-24T21:27:34Z

The countdown to Black Friday has already begun and for many of us who choose to brave the crowds, our shopping lists include big ticket holiday items such as the latest and greatest HD flat screen TVs.

Luckily - right in time for the holiday season - there is a brand new generation of energy-efficient TVs on the market. These models may use two to three times less energy than other TVs on the store shelves - meaning these former home energy hogs are on a liquid diet, just sipping a fraction of the energy it takes to run their not-so-distant cousins from just a few years past.

But there is one small catch - it's not that easy to tell which TVs are the most efficient ones. That's because the current version of ENERGY STAR, Version 3.0 is not very stringent and almost all models in the store today have the ENERGY STAR label on them. To their credit, the EPA has created a new version called Version 4.0 that goes into effect in May 2010. Unfortunately there is no easy way for consumers to easily determine which models meet the more efficient ENERGY STAR 4.0. That's where NRDC comes in....

To find the models on the market today that meet the ENERGY STAR 4.0 power requirements, we've written up a shopping guide for you.

These models are smart buys -- they'll keep your electric bills down but still give you the same great picture and sound quality provided by the high tech TVs of today.

Of course - while making sure the TV you buy meets the Energy Star 4.0 power limits is the most important step you can take to shopping energy-smart, there are a few more tips to enjoying your TV while keeping your energy bills in check:

First (or really second) - Only buy as big a TV as you really need. In general, bigger TVs use more energy and cost more to operate than smaller ones.

Second (or really third) - Adjust the brightness. When setting up your new TV, be sure to pick the "home" mode setting. This setting may cut your power use by up to 25% compared to other settings such as "vivid" or "retail" which are unnecessarily bright for most users.

Lastly - if you're swapping out an old TV for a new one, be sure to dispose of the old one properly (after all - older CRT televisions contain 4-8 pounds of lead, along with various other toxic materials, and no one needs that in our landfills). So....

Recycle your old TV. This helps reduce the pollution and energy use tied to the production of new electronics, and keeps hazardous materials out of landfills.

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition (NRDC is a member of ETBC) provides this map with links to responsible recyclers in each state.
ETBC also provides this guide of TV companies that have take-back programs.

And while you're taking steps in your own life, I should note what NRDC is doing on its end to ensure all TVs become as energy-smart as possible. Beyond our work with Energy Star, we were also a part of a recent victory in California - last week the California Energy Commission adopted the most advanced TV energy efficiency standards in the world. The new standards will make new TVs sold in California 30-50 percent more efficient and put almost a billion dollars a year back into the California economy in the form of lower electricity bills. Plus, the electricity saved will be equal to the amount used by all the homes in Oakland and Anaheim annually, and the new standard will also eliminate the need for California to build a new, large-sized 500 MW power plant, reducing carbon emissions equal to removing 500,000 cars from the road. Sounds like a pretty good plan, right?

Hopefully, that win will become the model for things to come around the world. Stay tuned.

California on track to improve TV efficiency and lower consumers’ electric bills

2009-10-09T20:58:18Z

I am pleased to report that the California Energy Commission (CEC) recently released its proposed energy efficiency standards for new TVs sold in California. These proposed standards are due to be voted on by the full Commission later this fall and upon passage will represent the most stringent standards in the world. Here's why this matters:

These standards will cut the power use of new TVs by 30 to 50% and will save Californians almost a $1 billion dollars a year in the form of lower electricity bills. These standards will also accelerate the industry's adoption of more efficient designs and ensure that every model sold in California is an efficient one.

58 inches till a follow-on rulemaking." width="494" height="371" />

*For those of you that are more visually oriented, here is a graphical depiction of how the standard works. Note, as a concession to the industry California has proposed to postpone regulation of TVs >58 inches till a follow-on rulemaking.*

We wholeheartedly support their passage and are doing all we can to make sure this happens. I have been representing NRDC and our more than 1.3 million members and e-activists during the Commission's more than 18 month proceeding.

But, as is often the case, this process hasn't been easy thanks to a misinformation campaign of epic proportions brought to you by the folks at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) - a DC-based lobbying group that is doing everything it can to prevent such regulations. CEA's most recent stunt includes creating a web based campaign centered around the misleading name of "Californians for Smart Energy". This is a textbook case of deception by an industry funded front group designed expressly to defeat the Commission's energy efficiency standards.

The CEA is philosophically opposed to mandatory standards and is recycling its usual litany of fabricated predictions of dire economic consequences, massive job losses and empty shelves. They previously made similar claims that proved to be totally untrue during their opposition to the Commission's highly successful efficiency standards that cover the ubiquitous black boxes called AC to DC power supplies that power our cell phones, laptops, cordless phones, routers and MP3 players. CEA also opposed, unsuccessfully, California's standards that limit the amount of power consumed by a wide range of consumer electronics when they are in standby mode (eg, when they are turned off.) In both cases, California's standards have since been adopted by other jurisdictions around the world.

But here's the thing, trade associations have been spreading these boogeyman stories on behalf of manufacturers for over 30 years every time California considers efficiency standards for things like air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators and now consumer electronics. California, to its credit, has moved ahead anyway. And guess what - not a single one of these adverse impacts was ever observed. Today's air conditioners keep you just as cool, your refrigerator keeps the food just as fresh, and after passage of the TV standard you'll still get that great "high def" picture. Instead, California has prevented the need to build several costly power plants, new product features continued to develop, and the only difference most consumers observed was lower electric bills.

While the CEA staff continues to serve as the face of the opposition to the TV standards, we think they are doing a disservice to their members like Samsung and Sharp who have recently introduced some of the most energy efficient models on the market. Much of their innovation and hard earned environmental credibility or "greenness" is at risk of going down the drain by standing behind the CEA and its smear tactics. Fortunately Vizio, a California based company and the leading selling brand of flat panel TVs in North America, has broken away from the pack and taken the courageous step of expressing their support for the Commission's standards.

It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself and other leading manufacturers step up and tell the CEA to support progress and innovation or they will terminate their CEA membership. A great parallel is the recent rush for the exits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where leading companies such as Apple, PG&E, and Exelon fled the organization due to its backward policies on climate change.

I will continue to report on future developments on the California rulemaking and other developments in this rapidly changing industry as they occur. In the meantime, for a more factual based and detailed summary of the proposed California efficiency standards and critique of the misconceptions created by CEA and perpetrated on California consumers, read on:

Economic impact - These standards are good for California's economy. With the use of off the shelf technologies and additional innovations that are coming very soon, there will be little to no incremental cost to meet the standards. Due to their lower energy use, these standards will put billions back into the California economy in the form of lower electric bills.

Jobs - CEA talks about thousands of lost jobs in California. First of all no TV production or assembly occurs in California, or the US for that matter. There is no basis for CEA's predictions of harm to the independent retailers. These retailers will continue to offer their customers a wide range of hi-end models to choose from. For example, you can already buy state of the art 52 inch TVs with new LED backlights that are only 1 ½ thick, have amazing contrast ratios, and easily beat the proposed 2013 standard.

TV Choice - The standards are performance based and technology neutral. The standards also scale with size, meaning bigger TVs are allowed to consume more power. In other words, consumers will continue to be able to choose any type of TV, whether it be LCD, plasma, DLP or some technology not even in existence today. Despite the misleading headlines that California is banning big screen TVs, one will continue to be able to buy TVs of any size, period.

Market Status - Today, more than 3 years before the standard goes into full effect, there are almost 300 models that already meet the Commission's Tier 2 energy efficiency requirements. These are made by all the leading manufacturers including Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, and Sony, as well as several of the lesser known, low cost house brands. Just like the computer laptop makers have, the TV industry is also expected to move towards LED backlights which will provide additional savings.

Environmental Benefits - We will prevent the emission of just under 3 million tons per year of CO2, the main heat trapping pollutant responsible for global warming, once all TVs installed in California meet the Tier 2 efficiency levels. In addition we will save as much power as that generated by a 500 MW power plant.

How much energy do TVs really use?

2009-09-18T00:42:49Z

About 4 years ago I started noticing that flat panel, big screen TVs started to pop up almost everywhere I went. Places like the hotel lobby, the fitness center, restaurants, at the airport and increasingly in our friends' homes. Also overnight, the size of TVs seemed to almost double.

As an energy efficiency advocate I had to know the answer to the question, "how much energy do these new LCD and plasma TVs really use?". Much to my surprise there was virtually no public information available about their energy use or cost to operate. The only thing out there was the number on the back of the TV that indicates how much power a TV can safely draw before it becomes unsafe to operate.

Not to be deterred I worked with our consultant Ecos Consulting to measure the power use of the latest TVs. We went into a few big box stores armed with a power meter and a 2 minute clip of the movie Shrek and measured the power draw of the TVs that were on display. To make a long story short, here is what we found:

Some of the bigger, less efficient models consumed more electricity each year than a new refrigerator and can cost several hundred dollars to operate over their 10 year life.
There was a wide range of energy use between similar sized models. In general, plasmas consumed considerably more energy than equivalent LCD models.
TVs now represent approximately 5 % of residential electricity use and over 1% of all national electricity use.

I have since dedicated much of the last few years to moving the industry towards more efficient designs. The potential dividends are enormous and include cutting our nation's electric bill by up to $10 billion/yr, eliminating the need for several large power plants, and preventing millions of tons of carbon dioxide, the main heat trapping pollutant responsible for global warming.

And I'm excited to say that my home state of California may lead the way on this one — stay tuned for more on that later.