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Coming to a Store Near You: More Energy Efficient Televisions

Release Date: 10/30/2008
Contact Information: Enesta Jones, (202) 564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. – Oct. 30, 2008) With the holiday season just around the corner, consumers will now have more energy efficient choices when shopping. Starting November 1, televisions meeting EPA’s new, more comprehensive energy efficiency specification will be available in stores nationwide.

“EPA encourages consumers to look for the Energy Star label when buying new televisions,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Energy Star’s new specifications for televisions are turning the channel on energy guzzling sets.”

Televisions that meet the new Energy Star specification will be up to 30 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. If all televisions sold in the United States met the new Energy Star requirements, the savings in energy costs would grow to be about $1 billion annually and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of about 1 million cars.

The new specification requires energy efficiency when televisions are on, as well as off or in “standby” mode. It also requires the use of external power supplies that have earned the Energy Star label where applicable. This new specification is important since televisions being sold now are larger, in use more hours a day, and offer more vibrant pictures, which can impact the amount of electricity they use. In fact, some of the largest, high resolution televisions can use as much as 500 kWh per year.

Energy Star qualified televisions can be found at most stores where electronics are sold. An up-to-date list of models that meet the new specification can be found at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TV . Consumers are also encouraged to ask their sales associate for newly qualified Energy Star televisions to ensure they are getting a television that qualifies under this enhanced specification.

More information about newly qualified Energy Star televisions: http://www.energystar.gov

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products as well as buildings and new homes. Products that have earned the Energy Star prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million vehicles.