New Ore. rule aims to make TVs more efficient
Oregon consumers should see more efficient televisions on store shelves in 2014, under rules taking effect New Year’s Day.
Televisions are responsible for about 5 percent of the energy used in a typical American home, according to energy officials. That figure could come down in Oregon, thanks to rules requiring that televisions meet new efficiency standards in 2014.
Oregon Energy Department spokeswoman Diana Enright says products that meet the standards will be listed in a public database. Enright says consumers shouldn’t have to trade quality – or screen size – for efficiency.
“When you look at some of the statistics over the last six or seven years, while the average screen size of a television has increased by about 30 percent, the energy consumption has dropped by more than 50 percent,” she says.
The Oregon rules also establish new standards for battery chargers.
Enright says the trend toward more efficient appliances is saving Americans $40 billion a year on utility bills.