The State of California claims that as much of 10% of the region’s electricity is used by televisions. The state government is considering setting standards for TV energy consumption that would push 25% of the sets now made out of the market in 2013.
According to the AP, “Industry representatives have said the standards would force manufacturers to make televisions that have poorer picture quality.”
The move would be another effort by government to eliminate products that harm people and the environment. TVs are not in the same class as cigarettes or alcohol, but soon may be regulated the same way that gas- guzzling cars are.
The regulations could badly hurt sales in the video screen business, if they are passed. The trend in consumer electronics is toward people buying more HD TV sets. They require large amounts of electricity to deliver more pixels to each square inch of their screens. A mandated level of electricity consumption could force people to move back to regular resolution products.
The news is certainly poses difficulty for large consumer electronics companies, most of which are based in China, South Korea, and Taiwan. They may have to go back to making black-and-white sets if the regulations become more strict than those already proposed.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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