Tuesday, October 23, 2007

TECH


How green is my plasma?


Photostat

Asher Moses
October 24, 2007 - 12:48PM
Page 1 of 2

* Your new TV may soon be a consumer relic

Advertisement

Consumers, instead of waiting for government action, will force television makers to develop more energy efficient flat screens by voting with their wallets, says the chief executive of a green comparison shopping site.

Comparison.com.au, which helps shoppers compare TVs based on their price and technical specifications, this week added a new feature allowing users to sort TV models by their energy efficiency rating and the amount they cost to run per annum.

The annual power cost savings earned by upgrading to a greener TV are rarely more than a few hundred dollars, according to the site's measurements, but CEO Robin Jowett said protecting the environment alone was enough of an incentive.

"People are becoming much more conscious of the environment and of the impact of these complex electrical items they're putting in their homes," he said.

"What we're trying to do here is help the consumer vote with their wallet and guide the manufacturers about how they can improve their products and the impact they have on the environment."

---------------------------
FastForward Blog: Are TV green credentials important?
---------------------------

The Federal Government is considering imposing tough mandatory energy requirements on TV manufacturers following the release of a number of government-commissioned reports, which found TV power consumption was increasing at an alarming rate as consumers upgraded from low-power cathode-ray TVs to energy-guzzling plasma and LCD behemoths.

They found TVs would soon rival fridges, heaters and air-conditioners as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions from households.

The latest report, prepared for the Australian Greenhouse Office by consulting firm Digital CEnergy, recommended the implementation of a star-based energy rating scheme similar to that mandated for most consumer whitegoods from 1992.

The report stated that star rating stickers on TVs would encourage consumers to think about energy consumption before buying. Manufacturers would then be under pressure to develop more energy efficient TVs, it found.

A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: "The Government is currently negotiating with industry on a voluntary labelling scheme for all TVs to provide consumers with information on the relative energy efficiency of different TV products."

-----------

No comments: