California has become the first US state to adopt regulations limiting the energy consumption of TV sets. New sets sold in the state must use one third less energy than they do today by 2011, and half as much energy by 2013.
However, rich Californians with a desire for large TV sets will not have to comply with the rules. TVs with screens larger than 58in – the SUVs of the TV world – can use as much energy as their manufacturers like.
The California Energy Commission, which adopted the regulations earlier this week, still hopes that they will save $8.1bn (£4.9bn) in energy costs over the next decade, and enough energy to power 864,000 single family homes. Pacific Gas and Electric says that the regulations will save three million tons of carbon emissions in the same time period.
The Consumer Electronics Association protested the regulations, arguing that the regulations will hamper innovation.
"It will result in higher prices for consumers, job losses for Californians, and lost tax revenue for the state," said Jason Oxman, senior vice president of industry affairs. He said that in the last two years, energy efficiency of televisions has improved by 41 per cent.
According to a report from Quixel Research, sales of large format TVs measuring 60in and above accounted for just 5.9 per cent of the US market in 2008, meaning that the new California regulations will capture almost all of the TV sets currently on the market.
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