As old refrigerators get replaced, and energy efficient light bulbs are now a standard feature in most people’s home, California is taking green home-improvement tips further than ever before. This initiative is supposed to help out with California’s high energy costs, however consumers can still buy these TV sets online or out of state.

Setting the Initiative in Motion

Even before the initiative is set into motion, other parts of North America are talking about following suit.  A spokesperson for Ontario Energy stated on CTV News earlier in November that this may be something for the province of Ontario to seriously consider as well.

The Pros

In the past similar proposals have made various electronic products more energy efficient, such as air conditioners (like the DeLonghi PAC) and refrigerators, which inevitably makes them more apt for today’s needs and demands.

Already companies such as Sony have been at work developing energy efficient televisions such as the 2008 32-inch Bravia KDL-32JE1 LCD model . This television was released in Japan and uses only 89 watts of electricity, compared to the original Bravia which uses 160 watts (though notably, the Sony Bravia S-Series
televisions are eco-friendly nontheless. For techie news on this television set click here).

Another pro for this future regulation is if the most populous state bans
energy-hogging televisions, then that will significantly cut the entire country’s usage down. Also, a step like this will inspire other states to step up their energy standards, dramatically cutting usage.

The Cons

On the other side of the table, this has been said to be coming at a bad time for California, whose unemployment rate has peaked for the first time since World War II, affecting retailers, distributors, and installers.  Since it is still legal to purchase plasma TV sets over the internet, retailers worry that they will no longer be needed since the consumer will still want their 50-inch screen, but the retailer won’t be poised to deliver the product any longer.

For the TV owner this could be a huge pay-off, as the Los Angeles Times reports, that the average first year savings would be an estimated $30US per television set and $912 million US statewide.

As well, in the long run this will inspire a new industry that requires television developers to engineer greener methods to build larger television sets, potentially creating new green jobs.

So environmental-television lovers rejoice! Your day will finally come when watching a little TV on your big screen will no longer reign on your green state of mind.

Image courtesy of away.com

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