by Brianna Crandall — March 11, 2011—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the completion of updates to the Energy Star requirements for televisions and cable/satellite boxes. Effective in September 2011, these products must be 40 percent more efficient than conventional models in order to qualify for the Energy Star label. The updates are the first of more than 20 revisions to product requirements the Energy Star program is expected to complete this year.
The new television requirements reflect an acceleration of pending changes made possible by a rapid market response to the current Energy Star requirements. Sustained consumer demand and strong retailer support for the program could lead to sales of the current Energy Star qualified televisions representing as much as 70 percent of the market this year, says EPA.
With more than 19 million large screen (greater than 40 inches) televisions expected to ship this year, this means substantial overall energy bill savings and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions, notes EPA. For example, under the new requirements, a 60-inch television must use less than 108 watts, compared to the average 282 watts used by a standard model that size.
The new Energy Star requirements for cable and satellite boxes specify that they enter a deep sleep mode while not in use, dropping their energy consumption from about 16 watts to 2 watts or less. The new requirements also encourage the deployment of multi-room “thin client” devices to transmit programming from one central DVR to other televisions in the building.
Products must undergo third-party testing to earn the Energy Star label. If all televisions, cable and satellite boxes in the U.S. were to meet the new Energy Star requirements, consumer energy cost savings would grow to more than $5 billion each year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of more than 7 million cars, says EPA.
