"Recognizing that giant new flat-panel televisions have become major power guzzlers, California on Wednesday became the first state to impose energy efficiency standards on them. The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to apply the standard, which would take effect in 2011. There is no federal energy-efficiency standard for televisions.

California, which often leads the nation in taking action on environmental issues, banned power-hungry refrigerators and air- conditioners in the 1970s and has enforced strong energy codes on residential and commercial buildings for decades. But the new regulation may prove the most challenging to consumers’ tastes.

The rule does not cover televisions currently in use or for sale. But it would require that most television sets sold in California consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less by 2013. The standards would apply to televisions with a screen size of up to 58 inches. . .

The new flat televisions with their liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies use more than three times the power of traditional cathode ray tube sets, the commission said.

Efficiency standards cover many appliances; but, until now, government regulators have been reluctant to set standards for consumer electronics like televisions and game consoles, and manufacturers have lobbied hard against such proposals.The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing the manufacturers, opposed the new California regulation, saying that it would hamper innovation, limit consumer choice and raise prices. . .

While the rest of the country has increased its per capita electricity consumption by 40 percent over the last three decades, California’s consumption has remained flat, leading some environmentalists to view the state as a model for the rest of the nation."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/us/19televisions.html